Last modified: 25 Mar 2016 11:39
This course will explore theories of media archaeology and visual historiography across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will consider various media formations alongside scholarly responses to these questions. Readings will include Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Jonathan Crary, Lisa Gitelman, Tom Gunning, Katherine Hayles, Erkki Huhtamo, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Friedrich Kittler, Vivian Sobchack, Paolo Cherchi Usai, and Siegfried Zielinski (among others).
| Study Type | Undergraduate | Level | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Old Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Course Aims
1. Introduce the field of media archaeology and visual historiography.
2. Analyse the historicity of diverse media.
3. Examine archival practices and theories.
Main Learning Outcomes
Students will develop knowledge and understanding of:
1. key concepts and issues in media archaeology, archive theory, and historiography.
2. the relationship between visual artefacts and historicity.
3. significant works and movements in audio-visual culture from around the world and across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Students will develop the ability to:
1. engage in critical thinking.
2. identify key claims and summarize arguments.
3. use appropriate research methodologies and synthesise ideas drawn from a variety of sources.
4. read images closely, identifying patterns (repetitions, developments, sites of difference and disunity).
5. engage with the process of learning in a constructive and self-motivated fashion.
6. participate in reflective discussion, responding with evidence in measured fashion to other points of view
7. write clearly and construct coherent arguments.
Course Content
What kind of artefact is the moving image? The photograph? The digital file? What kind of history do these artefacts allow (or encourage) us to write? How are visual artifacts stored? And why are they sometimes discarded? This course will explore theories of media archaeology and visual historiography across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We will consider various media formations alongside scholarly responses to these questions. Readings will include Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Jonathan Crary, Lisa Gitelman, Tom Gunning, Katherine Hayles, Erkki Huhtamo, Matthew Kirschenbaum, Friedrich Kittler, Vivian Sobchack, Paolo Cherchi Usai, and Siegfried Zielinski (among others).
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
1st Attempt
Essay 1 (2,000-2,500 words) (30%)
Essay 2 (3,000-3,500 words) (50%)
Blog Participation (10%)
Seminar Assessment (10%)
Resit
1 research essay (100%)
As part of their seminar participation, students will contribute short responses to a group blog. These responses will be used to track students' engagement with the readings and films as well as to gauge their preparedness for the summative forms of assessment.
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