NYU Poly Civilization and Communication DM 6043, Media Studies Seminar

Fall 2012 Friday 35:50 Rm: RH 203 Email

Please email me with questions or to arrange a meeting

Professor: Jack Toolin

In this media studies seminar, what I have titled Civilization and Communication, we will explore the ways that people and societies use media to sustain cohesion, propagate their identities, expand over time and space, and interact with the surrounding world. We will look back at ancient societies to consider how they were founded and maintained, the transition away from feudalism and the interplay of technologies that enabled this phenomenon, the impact of imaging technologies on social formation, and the benefits/detriments of increasingly pervasive technological communication. The course is composed of four units: Historical Considerations, Mass Media and Mass Society, Information and Knowledge, and Networks and Globalization. The content of each unit will be addressed through readings, discussions, visual presentations. While much of the semester will be spent addressing how these issues play out in contemporary developed societies, looking back through history will enable greater appreciation of the current media landscape. Understanding how societies used primitive technologies can illuminate our use of technologies today. Course Objectives: - Obtaining a well-developed understanding of contemporary issues in media studies at graduate level including: its historical foundation; its historical foundation; its increasingly important role in American and global society - Acquiring an understanding of technological and art historical trends in digital media and a grasp of experimental practice - Articulating, in discussions and writing, thoughtful reflection in response to assigned readings and personal research Student Responsibilities: - Consistent attendance and participation - Creative and thoughtful exploration of the topics covered - Following through with all assignments in the time allotted Readings: The assigned essays will largely be drawn from a range of texts that look at the subject from different historical and theoretical vantage points. Readings will be followed by classroom discussions, and your cogent contributions to these discussions are an important means for learning and for assessment. I ask you to make your way through the readings despite the possible challenges you have comprehending

them; and please, please, do not come to class with the intention of ridiculing what was hard to grasp. Questions are productive - dismissive editorializing is not. If English is a second language for you and you are having a hard time with the readings, please find someone to help youpossibly another student in the class. The readings must be completed before the class designated for discussion. A lack of participation in discussions will negatively affect your grade as it leaves me to think that you didnt read the assignmentdont be shy. Classroom participation/discussions are worth 25% of your grade. Mental maps: Mental maps (basically flow charts) will be due for essays each week. These are helpful in formulating what the essays salient points are and for creating a reference that you can turn to when writing papers or simply trying to recall what a given essay addressed. They also help in generating your contributions to discussions. I encourage you to make your maps on the computer, for the sake of later editing (You can use online sites like Mind Meister, Word or Illustrator, etc.), or you can hand draw your map if that works best. In any case, maps are to be emailed to me as a pdf. Late mental maps will not receive credit. Papers: You will have three papers to write, each about five pages in length. They will address different historical and technological periods of communication and involve your researching the topic, articulately conveying your research through writing, and properly crediting your sources. If writing is not your strong point, dont put off visiting the Writing Center to get help. And please dont put off the writing until the last minute. Let me know if youre having trouble I can give some feedback on drafts. Time commitment: You are expected to invest five to eight hours of work a week outside of the classroom (this includes reading, writing, and project work). If you dont think that you will be able to maintain this workload, either due to work for other classes or a lack of commitment, please reconsider taking the class at another time. I do not want poor work to be accompanied with explanations about having too many classes, not enough time, etc. Attendance: A rich learning environment is created when the teacher and students alike contribute to make it so. Missing classes, spending class time browsing the web, or chatting about unrelated things is disruptive to this process please be responsible. When time is devoted to discussions, please put your two cents in it helps me learn, it helps other students learn, and it helps you learn. It would be nice to get out of the classroom ... lets give it some thought. If this does develop, all efforts will be made to accommodate everyones schedule please show up. If you cannot make class please send me an email notification. Missing more than one without prior notification (and just cause) will affect your final grade by one half

grade for each class missed. Arriving more than 20 minutes late is counted as being absent (fewer minutes allowed if being late is an ongoing problem). Electronic etiquette: Laptops and smart phones are great when theyre used responsibly do not surf or text during lectures (by me, your peers, or guests), and please keep it to course-related necessity at other times.

Texts: There is no required text; rather, readings will be provided as PDFs. These will be added to Blackboard as needed.

Office hours: please email me to arrange a meeting I am happy to do so: jtoolin@gmail.com

Grading
Class participation/Discussions/Mental Maps Project One Project Two Project Three AA25% 25% 25% 25%
Excellent performance in all aspects of the class. Perfect attendance, intelligent contributions to discussions, creative projects Good to very good performance, though lacking in one area or a little in all areas Average performance - classes missed, projects lacking Poor performancelack of reading and discussing issues, lackluster projects Failure

B (+,-) C (+,-) D (+, -) F

Unit 1 Week 1
Fri., Sept. 7

Historical Considerations This syllabus will evolve somewhat Course introduction Content Readings Discussions Projects Time Commitment Attendance Lecture: Hello

Images: Two Threads Through the History of Culture Reading: Jared Diamond: excerpt from Guns, Germs, and Steel. pdf Blackboard>Coarse Content

Week 2
Fri., Sept. 14 Discussion of readings Lecture: Interpersonal Communication and Early Social Formation Readings: Manuel De Landa: except from A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History pdf

Week 3
Fri., Sept. 21 Discussion of readings Lecture: Automatons and Machine Art Chance operations and systems theory, the emerging prominence of concept Images: Duchamp, Moholy-Nagy, Tatlin, Tinguely, Readings: Charlie Gere: excerpt from Digital Culture pdf Norbert Wiener: Men, Machines, and the World About Unit 2 Week 4 Fri., Sept. 28 Mass Mediation and Mass Society Discussion of reading Lecture: From recorded live to Real-time Streaming Images: Roy Ascott, Eduardo Kac, Joan Jonas, Wolfgang Staehler, jill Magid Readings: Dominic Strinati: The Frankfurt School and the Culture Industry Dieter Daniels: Media Art/Art Media Forerunners of Media Art in the First Half of the Twentieth Century Week 5 Fri., Oct. 5

Discussion of readings Project 1 presentations Lecture: Media and Critical Theory Images: Future Farmers Readings: Hans Enzensberger: Constituents of a Theory of the Media

Jean Beaudrillard: Requiem for the Media

Week 6 Fri., Oct. 12

Discussion of reading Lecture: Technologically Encumbered to Technologically Immersed Images: Paik, Stelarc, Jeffrey Shaw, Char Davies, Second Front Readings: J.C.R. Licklider: Man-Computer Symbiosis Paul Verilio: The Media Complex

Unit 3 Week 7 Fri., Oct. 19

Information and Knowledge Discussion of readings Lecture: Information and the Archive Images: Fluxus, George LeGrady, Golan Levin, C5, John Klima Readings: Vannavar Bush: As We May Think pdf Theodore Nelson: Xanalogical Structure

Week 8 Fri., Oct. 26

Discussion of readings Lecture: Agency in a Networked Society Readings: Saskia Sassen: Local Actors in Global Politics Read only to the break on pg. 14

Week 9 Fri., Nov. 2

Discussion of readings Project 2 Presentations Lecture: Gaming: Bounded Liberation Images: Radical Software Group, Mary Flanagan, Joseph Delappe, Ann Marie Schleiner Readings: Sherry Turkle: Rethinking Identity Through Virtual Community Ann-Marie Schleiner: Does Laura Croft Wear Fake Polygons Mary Flannagan: intro to Critical Play

Unit 4

Networks and Globalization

Week 10 Fri., Nov. 9

Discussion of readings Project 2 Presentations contd Lecture: Locative Media and the Transformation of Space to Place Images: Blast Theory, Glowlab, C5, Readings for next weeks discussion: Guy Debord and Gil Wolman: Introduction of a Critique of Urban Geography Drew Hemment: The Locative Dystopia

Week 11 Fri., Nov. 16

Discussion of readings Lecture: Web 2.0 and the Consumer as Producer Images: Stephanie Rothenberg, Golan Levin, Angie Waller Readings for next weeks discussion: Tim OReilly and John Battelle: Web Squared: Web 2.0 Five Years On Geert Lovink: The Pride and Glory of Web 2.0 pdf Tiziana Terranova: Free Labor

Fri., Nov. 23 Week 12 Fri., Nov. 30

Happy Thanksgiving! Discussion of readings Lecture: Artificial Intelligence and Collective Intelligence Images: Ken Rinaldo, Ken Feingold, Lynn Hershman, David Rokeby, Eduardo Kac Readings for next weeks discussion: Alan Turing: Computing Machinery and Intelligence Susan Blackmore: excerpt from The Meme Machine

Week 13 Fri., Dec. 7

Discussion of readings Lecture: Networked Activism Images: Critical Art Ensemble, Yes Men, Eric Paulos, Electronic Disturbance Theater, Mark Skwarek, Beatriz da Costa

Week 14 Fri., Dec. 14

Final Project Presentations