Graham Law, SILS, Waseda University, Spring 2016

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 Jurgen 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 will be provided in class as necessary, and can be downloaded from the Syllabus table below.
***Please note that the PDF reading files and PPT presentation files are located in a LOCAL folder. This means that they can only be accessed from within the Waseda system (i.e. you must download them EITHER from a computer at the university OR while connected to the university network via VPN). Otherwise, you will receive a message as follows: "FORBIDDEN You don't have permission to access this URL on this server".***

(3) Course Methods
This class will be conducted entirely in English. Each double class will consist principally of mini-lectures by the instructor, introducing key concepts, analyzing academic or media texts that show how they operate, and discussing their social implications. In addition, I will provide time both for group work in the middle of the class (using prepared worksheets) and for a Discussion or Question and Answer session towards the end. The Powerpoint Presentations and Worksheets used in class can be downloaded by clicking on the appropriate links in the table below. These materials will be made available by at least the beginning of the week in which the classes in question take place.

(4) Detailed Syllabus

(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).
Grades will be calculated as follows: Attendance & Quizzes 20%; Writing Assignment 40%; Exam 40%

(7) Contacts
Office No: 11-1455
Office Hours: Wednesday 3 & Thursday 3
E-mail: glaw@waseda.jp

Copyright (C) Graham Law, 2011-16. All rights reserved.
First drafted Mon 12 Sep 2011.
Last revised Sat 11 Jun 2016.

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