So What is Theory? was an intense class. Jonathan Cutler does his best to describe theory in language that anyone who doesn't have a PHD in English Literature can grasp. Here are some of his bite sized pieces:
The Four main points of theory:• Theory is interdisciplinary—discourse with effects outside an original discipline
• Theory is analytical and speculative—an attempt to work out what is involved in what we call sex or language or writing or meaning of the subject” [or what we call graphic design]
• Theory is reflexive, thinking about thinking, enquiry into the categories we use in making sense of things, in literature and in other discursive practices.” [graphic design anyone?]
• The intimidation factor of theory is that it cannot be contained and is always being revised.
As a class we were able to digest most of this, but it was hard to see how this murky, speculative thing called theory could apply to our own practice (and more specifically our theses). What we discovered was that it is pretty hard to have a conversation about theory itself. Because it is a moving target, because it spans across so many disciplines it becomes almost impossible to talk about theory in concrete terms.
For me it felt like a meta-coversation. We kept talking in circles and the discussion kind of imploded on itself. Maybe you all feel differently? We kept trying to use past CalArts master's theses as examples and it got pretty heated. Were we analyzing the projects’ expression or their theories?
Culler's brief outline did give me the satisfaction of knowing that theory is a slippery creature. You are supposed to realize it is an ever-shifting organism with it's tentacles in just about everything. Sounds kind of like graphic design to me...
