Cult History of Media

Catalog description

(PP) The purpose of this course is to "de-naturalize" our understanding of U.S. broadcasting as "the only way it could be" or as "the best way it could be." Using a historical approach, students examine the ever-changing complexity of media by considering the shifting relationships between institutions, politics, culture, social organization and technology. The course helps students develop critical knowledge as media consumers and (for some) future media producers and to gain the background knowledge necessary for more nuanced inquiry into mediated communication.