Histories and Politics of Noise

Catalog description

In this seminar, students will consider the idea that “noise” has a history, and that its history dates long before the industrial revolution’s ratcheting up of noise levels due to heavy machinery and the reproduction and amplification of sound through electronic technologies. Some noises pierce our ears and disrupt both our hearing and our thinking. In contrast, background noises may be loud, persistent, and even harmful to our ears, but they suffuse our everyday lives so fully that we can ignore them. Despite our daily subjective encounters with noise, can noise have a political meaning as well, one that transcends our individual experiences with din and discord, cacophony and clamor? This course explores noise’s relationship to history and politics. By spending the semester reading, talking, and writing about noise, we will seek to comprehend it rather than contain it. Prerequisites: None. Fulfillment: Humanities Interdisciplinary/Advanced course (18-19: Critical Concept/Topic)