GERM 42.04 From the Typewriter to Virtual Reality: Modern Media Theory (in English)

The media theorist Friedrich Kittler famously declared, “Media determine our situation.” But what is a medium, and how can we understand its impact? Through analysis of foundational media-theoretical writings from the 20th and 21st centuries, this seminar will explore the relationship between modern media and fundamental cultural practices, ranging from the acoustic (gramophone, radio), to the visual (photography, film, virtual realities), to the tactile (typewriter, e-reader, touch screen). Topics will include the relationship between media technologies, perception, and communication; the interplay of mass media and art; and changing notions of reality. The seminar will emphasize the “German tradition” of media studies with its focus on technology and material media and put it in dialog with international developments (McLuhan, Baudrillard, Virilio, Parikka).

Instructor

McGillen, P.

Cross Listed Courses

COLT 18.03

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:ART; WCult:W

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