Perhaps more than any other cultural phenomena of recent ...



AMST 329: “All the Pieces Matter”

Viewing HBO’s ‘The Wire’ Through a Critical Lens

I'll do what I can to help y'all. But, the game's out there, and it's play or get played. That simple. – Omar Little

The Game Done Changed… - Dennis ‘Cutty’ Wise

Trinity College

Classroom:

Day(s): M/W 6:00-9:00

Instructor: Nicholas Conway

Emails: Conway.Nicholas@

Nicholas.conway@trincoll.edu

Phone: (518) 330-7602

Office Hours:

Seabury Tower 305

Thursdays: 5:00-6:00 and by appointment

I. Course Description

Through analysis and dissection of David Simon’s ‘The Wire,’ this course seeks to equip students with the tools necessary to examine our postmodern warfare state. ‘The Wire’ seamlessly juxtaposes aesthetics with socio-economic issues, offering up a powerful lens for investigating our surroundings. Whether issues of unregulated free market capitalism, the bureaucracy of our school systems, politics of the media, false notions of equal opportunity, devaluation of human life, or a failed war on drugs, ‘The Wire’ addresses the complexities and interweaving of American urban life. Through a socio-political and cultural reading of the five individual seasons students will be able to explore a multitude of relevant and contemporary issues.

II. Course Requirements

1. Attendance and Participation: Given the depth and magnitude of the subject matter raised by The Wire, and the vexingly short period of time we have in which to cover it, I expect you to attend class regularly. This is particularly relevant since we will be regularly watching episodes together in class. Every unexcused absence will result in a two-percentage point reduction in your final grade. Read the assigned readings, watch the assigned episodes, and come to class prepared to discuss them, both individually and in relation to one another. (14% of Final Grade)

2. Weekly Blog Entries: There is a blog set up four our course on Moodle. You need two submit two posts per week. Your initial post will be your own insightful commentary pertaining to that particular week’s episodes and readings. The seconds will be a thoughtful “response post” to someone else’s initial post (a simple “I agree” is not sufficient). Avoid comments/questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no. Comments/Questions that force one to analyze the reading and viewings in a larger sphere of context are encouraged. There will be 12 weeks of required blog posts. Each post is credited with 1.5% points. Two posts a week means a potential of 3% points per week. After 12 weeks of this, you can have earned 36% points of your grade simply by posting well-conceived comments and responses. (36% of Final Grade)

3. Character Analysis (6-8 pages): Selecting a recurring character from The Wire, your assignment is to dissect that individual’s onscreen portrayal, analyzing what he/she might represent in a larger societal context. Incorporating specific episodes and scenes, class texts and discussions, the overall form and content of the show, and outside resources (film, television, and readings) are a valuable means of supporting your argument. Roughly 6-8 pages. Questions to consider:

a. Does the character serve as an archetype?

b. Does the character seem to be an “offshoot” of a famous character from literature?

c. Do the aesthetics and style of the character help convey a message?

d. Does your character’s interactions with other characters support your case? Does he/she complement a particular character? Feel free to compare/contrast with several other characters (even from another television show).

e. How does the character work within the larger scope of the program?

f. Does the audiences emotionally connect to your character? How might this play a part?

g. Does the character convey a specific argument or agenda?

h. Does the character serve to convey specific philosophies or ideas pertaining to society, economics, crime, policing, identity, gender, sexuality, legislation, governments, environments, race, class, war, journalism, media, fiction, drugs, progress, and/or urban America? Roughly 6-8 pages. (25% of final grade)

4. Creative Project: Your time to shine. This is the assignment where you get the freedom to put to practical use some of what you’ve learned in this course, the goal being to capture the ‘spirit’ of The Wire in some way, shape, or form. Ideally you would like to create a project through which the audience can explore at least one of the relevant social, political, or economic issues addressed via The Wire. Possible ideas would include, but are not limited to: short films or documentaries, music videos, interviews, a second independent paper, an exhibition project (If you were to create an exhibition on The Wire for a museum, for instance, what would you include, and why?), and so on. By no means are you required to present your project in front of the entire class. However, if you choose to, you will earn a bonus of 2% points towards your final grade. (25% of final grade)

To Summarize, your final grade will be determined accordingly:

Attendance and Participation…………………………………….14%

Weekly Blog Entries……………………………………………....36%

Character Analysis………………………………..………………25%

Creative Project…………………………………………………..25%

Bonus: Presentation of Creative Project earns an extra 2%

Penalties: Every unexcused absence results in 2% deduction

Due Dates:

Two Weekly Blog Entries………………11:59PM on the Sunday before next class

Prospectus for Creative Project………………………………….Week 7’s class

Creative Project……………………………………..Last scheduled day of class

Character Analysis……………………………………..Last day of Finals Week

Bibliography

The Wire: Urban Decay and American Television by Tiffany Potter and C.W. Marshall

Against The Wall: Poor, Young, Black, and Male (The City in the Twenty-First Century) by Elijah Anderson

Note: Both these books need to be purchased. All other readings will be provided.

Filmography

Seasons 1 – 5 of HBO’s The Wire (Recognizing the costly nature of the HBO series, I will provide everyone with class screenings or streamed links, via Blackboard, to all required episodes. However, if it is economically feasible I would recommend everyone attempt to find access to the entire series so that you can watch the non-required episodes as well in order to appreciate the entire show and class within proper context.)

Week 1: Code of the Streets

A Man Gotta Have a Code - Omar Little

I got to ask you. If every time Snotboogie would grab the money and run away, why'd you even let him in the game? - Detective James ‘Jimmy’ McNulty

You got to, this is America, man. - Witness

Episodes: Episode 1.1 in class. Watch 1.2-1.5 on your own before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Aafa Weaver, "Baltimore before The Wire"

2) C.W. Marshall and Tiffany Potter, "'I am the American Dream':

Modern Urban Tragedy and the Borders of Fiction"

Additional Readings:

1)

2)

3) introductory-notes-on-the-wire/

4) PDF chapter from Code of the Streets by Elijah Anderson

Learning Objectives:

1) Why study The Wire?

2) Why does a code seem of particular importance to the individual depicted in The Wire?

3) Does the code seem to by dynamic or evolving?

4) Compare/contrast the typical “urban code” to “suburban code”?

3) How would you define the code you live by?

Week 2: Baltimore as Archetypical Post-Industrial City

These right here, these are the pawns. They like the soldiers. – D’Angelo Barksdale

Thin Line Between Heaven and Here - Bubbles

Episodes: Episode 1.6 in class. Watch 1.7-1.10 on your own before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) David Alff, "Yesterday's Tomorrow Today: Baltimore and the Promise of Reform"

2) Peter Clandfield, "We ain't got no yard': Crime, Development and Urban

Environment”

Against the Wall Readings:

1) “Against the Wall” by Elijah Anderson

2) “Economic Plight of Inner-city Black Males” by William J. Wilson

Audio Interview:

1) (optional audio interview with Thomas Sugrue, author of The Origins of the Urban Crisis, on racial inequality)

Learning Objectives:

1) What typifies our modern day post-industrial city?

2) How does Baltimore embody this typical post-industrial city?

3) Would you even qualify our current cities as post-industrial or do you feel a new signifier is required?

Week 3: HBO, Technology, and Television

Game’s the same, just got more fierce. – Slim Charles

The old man said, ‘Live by the sword, die by the sword.’ – Avon Barksdale

Episodes: Episode 1.11 in class. Watch 1.12-1.13 (finale) & 2.1 before next class.

Against the Wall Readings:

1) “Young, Black, and Male: Life History of an American Drug Dealer Facing Death Row” by Waverly Duck

2) “Why are Handguns So Accessible on Urban Streets?” by David Kairys

3) “Blacklisted: Hiring Discrimination In Era of Mass Incarceration” by Devah Pager

Additional Readings:

1) PDF - “Television Context for The Wire” by Jason Mittell

Learning Objectives :

1. Having just completed the first season, how does The Wire seem to set itself apart from your typical television fare, particularly the standard police drama? How does it seem to break from the traditional good buy/bad guy mold? How does it differ from the formulaic and tidy sixty-minute intro/storyline/climax/denouement archetype?

2. How does it differ from most HBO programs?

3. Does The Wire have the potential to represent an evolutionary point in television in much the same way Nas or Rakim did for Hip Hop or Miles Davis did for jazz?

4. Describe elements of “productive confusion” (as defined by Mittell) found in The Wire and give examples of how that mirrors reality.

5. What demands are placed upon on the viewer? Can the audience be afforded the opportunity to be “lazy”? Contrast this to other popular forms of television, specifically, and media, in general.

(We will revisit these same four questions towards the end of the semester.)

Week 4: Blue Collar Sensibilities & The Politics of the Working Class

Sheeeit…. – Senator Clay Davis

I ain’t much for sentiment. – Marlo Stansfield

Episodes: Episode 2.4 in class. Watch 2.6, 2.9, & 2.11 before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Lynne Viti, "I got the Shotgun, You got the Briefcase': Judging, Lawyering, and

Ethics"

Additional Readings:

1) (about Wilson’s

book When Work Disappears, which Simon used as the basis for Season II)

2) (interview with Wilson)

3)

4) PDF – William J. Wilson lecture notes

Learning Objectives :

1. What are some of the current obstacles facing our working class? Particularly our inner city working class? How bout over the past few decades? Any significant changes in this regard?

2. How can we effectively increase political support for increased federal spending on behalf of our nation’s poor?

3. Is funding spent to counter poverty being allocated most effectively?

4. Why is our inner city education in such a state of crisis?

5. Do zoning ordinances constrict inner-city growth and prosperity?

6. Describe the “blue collar sensibilities” depicted through the lens of Season II of The Wire?

Week 5: The Economics & Politics of the Revolving Corner

He used my name? In the street? – Marlo Stansfield

You ain’t puttin’ me in one of them fuckin’ houses…this my corner…I ain’t runnin’ nowhere… - Bodie Broadus

Episodes: Episode 3.1 in class. Watch 3.2-3.5 before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Ralph Beliveau and Laura Bolf-Beliveau, "Posing Problems and Picking Fights: Critical Pedagogy and the Corner Boys"

2) James Peterson, "On the Corners of Black Masculinity: Hip Hop Culture and the Intersections of Inner City Manhood"

3) Jason Read, "Stringer Bell's Lament: Violence and Legitimacy in Contemporary Capitalism"

Learning Objectives :

1) It is not uncommon to hear the expression “post-racial”, often accompanied with Obama’s election as apparent evidence, used to describe our current era. Does the world, as seen through the lens of The Wire, seem to support this claim?

2) The ideal corner boy is comprised of what characteristics? What makes a corner boy “authentic”? Compare/contrast this to the “authentic” characteristics of the other roles depicted on The Wire (detective, sergeant, lieutenant, politician, muscle, drug lord, etc.)

3) Does violence seem to serve as form of cultural capitalism?

4) Describe the dynamic, constantly evolving nature of “the corner”?

Week 6: Hamsterdam: A Viable Alternative to the New Jim Crow?

That’s the thing about wars…they're easy to get into, but hell to get out of. – Bunk Moreland

Look, the pawns, man, in the game, they get capped quick. They be out the game early. – D’Angelo Barksdale

Episodes: Episode 3.6 in class. Watch 3.7-3.9 before next class.

Against the Wall Readings:

1) “You Can Take Me Outta the Hood But You Can’t Take the Hood Outta Me: Youth Incarceration and Reentry” by Jamie Fader

Additional Readings:

1)

2) PDF – “Intro” and “The New Jim Crow” chapters from Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow

Learning Objectives:

1. What characteristics typify our nation’s current “war on drugs”?

2. What are the implications and effects of this “war”?

3. What are some of the defining characteristics of the modern day Prison industrial complex?

4. What are some viable alternatives to this current model emphasizing heavy policing, incarceration, and punishment? Is “Hamsterdam” a feasible alternative? What would be the primary obstacles to such an approach?

Week 7: Reel Police Vs. Real Police: Representation & Politics

You know, this is why I think we can't win this? – Detective Ellis Carver

How Come? - Detective Thomas Hauk

They screw up, they get beaten. We screw up, we get a pension – Detective Ellis Carver

You gotta think about what we got in this game for, man. Huh? Was it the rep? Was it so our names could ring out on some fucking ghetto streetcorner, man? Naw, man. There's games beyond the fucking game. – Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell

Episodes: Episode 3.10 in class. Watch 3.11 and 3.12 (Finale) before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Stephen Lucasi, "Networks of (Af)filiation: Familialism and Anti-Corporatism"

2) Alisdair McMillan, "Heroism, Institutions, and the Police Procedural"

3) Ryan Brooks, "Once That Tape Starts Rolling...': The Production of 'Real Police'"

Learning Objectives :

1. In what ways do political machines, drug networks, and police departments all parallel one another?

2. We traditionally think of bureaucracy as limited to agencies such as police departments and political systems. How do we see these same elements within the street drug trade?

Week 8: Our Forgotten Classrooms

Tomorrow ain't promised to no one. – Marlo Stansfield

Now, the king, he move one space any direction he damn choose, 'cause he's the king. – D-Angelo Barksdale

Episodes: Episode 4.1 in class. Watch 4.2-4.4 before next class.

Against the Wall Readings:

1) “Black Male Students and Reflections on Learning and Teaching” by Janelle Dance

2) “Tell Us How It Feels to be a Problem: Hip Hop Longings and Poor Young Black Men” by Imani Perry

Additional Readings:

1)

2) (Diane Ravitch “Why I Changed My Mind…”

3) (Q&A with Diane Ravitch)

Learning Objectives :

1. What appear to be some of the shortcomings of our inner city school systems?

2. What might be some alternatives to our current system of urban education?

3. The public school versus charter school debate has become a “hot” topic as of late. What do you see as the strengths and drawbacks of each model? How do magnet schools factor into the equation?

Week 9: Gender & Sexuality Courtesy of the Poetics of The Wire

This the queen. She smart, she fast. She move any way she want, as far as she want. And she is the go-get-shit-done piece. – D’Angelo Barksdale

You're the perfect bait. They will view you as conflicted, you're homophobia is so visceral. – Brother Mouzone

Gatsby, he was who he was, and he did what he did. And cuz he wasn't willing to get real with the story, that shit caught up to him. – D’Angelo Barksdale

Deserve got nuttin’ to do with it. – Felicia ‘Snoop’ Pearson

Episodes: Episode 4.5 in class. Watch 4.6-4.8 before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Courtney Marshall, "Barksdale Women: Crime, Empire, and the Production of Gender"

2) Amanda Ann Klein, "The Dickensian Aspect': Melodrama, Viewer Engagement and the Socially Conscious Text"

Additional Readings:

1)

2) (interview with Felicia “Snoop” Pearson)

3)

4)

5) (optional essay)

Learning Objectives :

1) Why do people seem to relate so well to the characters in The Wire? Why do we “feel” for these characters? What is it about the writing/cinematography/storyline/acting that helps us feel their pains, joys, successes, and failures? Or do you as viewer not create this “emotional attachment” that so many fans speak of?

2) Do the characters appear to serve as archetypes in any way, shape, or form?

3) Do you see The Wire (via long form television narrative) serve as a core text much like the Greek tragedy or works of Shakespeare

4) What issues concerning gender does The Wire raise? Do you feel it broke down any stereotypes? Perpetuated any stereotypes? Do you have any issue with the only significant female detective lead (character of Kima Griggs) being a lesbian?

5) How does The Wire deal with issues of sexuality, both heterosexual and homosexual? Compare/contrast characters of Griggs and Omar to Bunk and McNulty.

6) Race representation in media has long been problematic. Does The Wire appear to do a fair an accurate representation of race in general? Did The Wire offer portrayals varying from traditional television? Similar? Some of both?

Week 10: The Underground Economy & Navigation of Space

That’s market saturation. – Russell ‘Stringer’ Bell

Money ain’t got no owners ... only spenders. – Omar Little

Episodes: Episode 4.9 in class. Watch 4.10-4.13 (finale) before next class.

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Elizabeth Bonjean, "After the Towers Fell: Bodie Broadus and the Space of Memory"

Additional Readings:

1) (essay on Baltimore’s informal economy)

2)

3) (optional essay)

Learning Objectives:

1. How does an individual navigate or create space for oneself in post-industrial cities resembling Baltimore?

2. How would you describe Baltimore’s “underground economy”? Would you suggest it is not strictly limited to one concrete, easily defined underground economy, but instead several, perhaps interconnected, ones?

Week 11: The Death of Journalism: The New Media Revolution?

So how do you get to be the king? – Wallace

Do it feel like a crown on yo head...do it? That’s what I'm wearin’ on mine. – Marlo Stansfield

Episodes: Episode 5.1. Watch 5.5, 5.7, & 5.8

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Kathleen LeBesco, "Social Justice and Audience Response to Omar Little"

2) Kevin McNeilly, "Dislocating America: Agnieszka Holland Directs 'Moral

Additional Readings:

1) (David Simon essay)

Learning Objectives:

1. How does mass media sway and inform the opinions of citizens?

2. Are we encountering a slow death of traditional journalism?

3. How you define or describe this popular wave of “new journalism”? How has social networking sites developed to serve as a respected form of reportage? Do you see any potential drawbacks to these new forms of journalism? Can the old methods coexist with the new (including the technology that enables it)?

4. Having nearly completed the entirety of The Wire, let’s revisit some earlier questions.

a. How does the program seem to set itself apart from your typical television fare, particularly the standard police drama?

b. How does it differ from most HBO programs?

c. Does The Wire have the potential to represent an evolutionary point in television in much the same way Nas or Rakim did for Hip Hop or Miles Davis did for jazz?

Week 12: Optimism Through Awareness: The Wire As Hope for Tomorrow?

How do you get from here to the rest

of the world? – Duquan ‘Dukie’ Weems

This game is rigged man, I feel like them little bitches on the chessboard. - Bodie Broadus

Episodes: Episode 5.9 in class. Watch 5.10 (finale) and prepare project for final class.

Against the Wall Readings: “What Do We Do Now? Toward a Brighter Future for Young African American Men” by Peter Edelman

Urban Decay Readings:

1) Ted Nannicelli, "'It's All Connected': Notes on the Teleplays"

Learning Objectives:  

1. What are the feasible steps to change some of the societal flaws we see addressed via The Wire?

2. Does the show itself have the power to inform public policy? Or at the least public opinion? How about simply to engage the common viewer who isn’t taking a college course dissecting the implications of the program?

3. How can inner cities be reconnected to the rest of American society?

Week 13: The Wire Through the Lens of “You”: Creative Project Presentations

He's saying that the past is always with us. Where we come from, what we go through, how we go through it…all this shit matters. - D’Angelo Barksdale

All in the game yo, all in the game… – Omar Little

Wrap-Up Readings:

1)

2) (5 Wire writers discuss the show and it’s ability to engage)

3) (David Simon reflects upon 5 Seasons and 6 years of The Wire)

4) (Q&A with David Simon)

5)

6)

Learning Objectives:

1. What should the viewer take from this program? What should we take from this course?

2. How authentic do you think show truly was?

3. Does The Wire run the risk of being counterproductive as it rids viewers of “white guilt”? Does it create too comfortable an environment for the viewer to feel watching the show, thus being aware of the injustices raised, is “sufficient”, in turn creating greater complacency? Is the “awareness” valuable in and of itself?

4. Why does it take a program such as The Wire to raise such awareness? Do books and other forms of media contain the same potential to engage? Is there something unique about television and HBO in general? The Wire specifically?

5. Does The Wire teach us anything new about contemporary television?

6. It is always difficult to tie together a television season, particularly a series, especially a universally well-received series. There was tremendous concern when Simon announced Season 5 would in fact be the close. I realize it is still relatively fresh in your memory, but upon reflection upon the series finale (5.10), were you left satisfied? Disappointed? Longing for something else?

The cheese stands alone

The cheese stands alone

Hi-Ho, the derry-o

The cheese stands alone

- “The Farmer In the Dell”

as whistled by The Wire’s Omar Little

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