Ulmer, I like you but I don’t get you. Ulmer in Chapter 3, introduces the word EmerAgency, that at first glanced I read as emergency. The word EmerAgency is nothing more than a compilation of the words Emergency and Agency. To better understand Ulmer’s concept we must analyze his syntax since everything since he writes with great purpose. We can conclude that emergency is a state of flux and perceived danger. Agency as described by Ulmer is not a static word; it has to “do with the shifting site of responsibility for actions taken”(50). By merging these two concepts we can deuce that EmerAgency will serve as an evolving “knowledge to the dilemmas of contemporary in justice” (60). EmerAgency will consequently have to disband past frameworks of asserting authority with a post structural frame of reference. Ill share a question that intrigued me, for EmerAgency to evolve, would there be a need for new emergencies to break the current structure? Jacques Lacan would argue, “if the tube is filled with gas such as neon, it will light up only when the flow of electric current is interrupted and forced to move " (62)
Adam Perez
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This is a great inquiry into a pivotal word of Ulmer's. I love the end, where you speculate about the need for emergencies to exist for such an agency to take on issues. There is certainly no shortage of emergencies right now--Ulmer would have the expertise of academia help inform policy issues and decisions. I wonder if multimedia authors and scholars can help the public to better understand the mediated nature of our world--I think you and Zoe's video project goes a long way toward doing just that!
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