Graham Law, SILS, Waseda University, Spring 2022

HI307 Media History: Modern Media Revolutions

Course Information

(1) Course Content
With the rapid development of the internet from the turn of the twenty-first century, today we are living through a period of major change in media systems. This course will focus not only on the internet revolution itself but also on three earlier periods of media transition in the modern era following the industrial revolution of the late eighteenth century: the periodical revolution of the mid-nineteenth century; the phonograph and cinema revolution from the turn of the twentieth century; and the broadcasting revolution of the mid-twentieth century. We will consider not only the technological developments driving such changes but also the sociological causes underlying them. Two very different but equally seminal modern thinkers about media history, Marshall McLuhan and Jürgen Habermas, will be referred to throughout to help create an intellectual framework for the course in general. In addition, while studying each of the four phases of transition in the modern media, we will attend to the debates that they aroused in contemporary society. Based on the instructor's area of expertise, the specific case studies undertaken will most often be taken from the British media, but with reference also to Japan, France, the United States, and other industrial nations, thus giving a comparative dimension to the course.

(2) Course Materials
There is no single course text book. Reading and study materials can be downloaded from the Syllabus table below. Copies are also available via the Waseda Moodle system.

(3) Course Methods
This class will be conducted entirely in English. Although the class may be quite large, and probably have to be conducted in hybrid style (at once face-to-face and online) I will try to make it as interactive as possible. Please try to participate actively: attendance, whether in person or via Zoom will be registered.  Unless the Covid situation changes for the worse, students based in and around Tokyo are expected to attend the class regularly in person, unless they have a good reason not to do so and have the understanding of the instructor.
The two sessions in the first week of classes will be used for Student Orientation concerning both the Course Contents and Course Methods. In principle, the same material will be offered twice. The Tuesday session (April 5th) will be mainly aimed at students taking the class in person, while the Friday session (April 8th) will be mainly aimed at students not resident in or around Tokyo, who will access the class sessions online via Zoom. There is no need to attend both sessions.
From the second week, the first of the two weekly classes (on Tuesday) will focus mainly on the material in the Powerpoint, with the time divided between lecture and Q&A/group discussion. The second weekly class (on Friday) will give a good deal of time to the Case Study material, again with plenty of time for questions and discussion in groups. The weekly Reading forms the transition between the two sessions: it will be introduced by the instructor at the end of the Tuesday class and discussed in groups at the start of the Friday class, with students required to complete the reading quiz online in the period in between.
The final exam focuses principally on the material in the Powerpoints. Versions of each Powerpoint presentation with recorded narration in video format will be available on the Waseda Moodle system at the end of the Friday class each week for purposes of review.

(4) Detailed Syllabus

(5) Further Reading

(6) Course Requirements
Participants are required to:
1 attend the course regularly and contribute actively to discussions;
2 prepare for the class by means of reading and study assignments (weekly quizzes given);
3 to produce a mid-term writing assignment in English of at least 1500 words (see the WRITING ASSIGNMENT print)
4 to take a final examination on the content of the course (with both multiple-choice and writing sections) via Waseda Moodle.
Grades will be calculated as follows: Participation & Quizzes 20%; Writing Assignment 40%; Exam 40%

(7) Contacts
Office No: 11-1455
Office Hours: Wednesday 3 & Thursday 3
E-mail: [email protected]

Copyright (C) Graham Law, 2011-22. All rights reserved.
First drafted Mon 12 Sep 2011.
Last revised Sat 4 Jun 2022.

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