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Struggle for the Word: History of Media I
| Semester and Year | FA 2011 |
| Course Number | IDSEM-UG1055 |
| Section | 001 |
| Instructor | Stephen Duncombe |
| Days | Mon,Wed |
| Time | 12:30 PM - 1:45 PM |
| Units | 4.0 |
| Level | U |
| Foundation Requirement | SOC |
Description
The history of the media is the history of struggle, a battle waged over words and images: who produces them, who has access to them, and whose interests are served by them. Beginning with the Bible and moving through plays and popular song; pamphlets, penny press and advertisements; this course will use the history of the printed word to explore enduring questions of power and culture. Readings will range from Genesis and Plato to the forced confessions of a barely literate sixteenth-century miller, Thomas Jefferson to Frederick Douglass, slave songs to early newspapers, and writings of public relations impresarios like Edward Bernays to the words of the novelist James Joyce.
Syllabus
Course Type
Interdisciplinary Seminars (IDSEM-UG)
