Summer 2024 Courses

Writing. Orality. Printing. Photography. Pre-cinematic optical devices. Gramophones. Telephony. Radio. Film. Television. Drones. Social media. Artificial intelligence. This course explores theoretical writings on technology and media from the 19th to 21st century, while focusing on pivotal trends since the 1980s from the German-speaking world. We will examine the foundational work of Friedrich Kittler, the emergence of Media Archaeology and Cultural Techniques, as well as critical reflections on gender, race, and politics.

What can we learn from analyzing cinematic techniques and devices? In this class, students will practice crafting arguments and using evidence by looking at ubiquitous, though curiously under-analyzed cinematic techniques: special effects. Can special effects be used artistically, or are they just cheap spectacle? Do they express ideas, or are they merely background, part of plot or setting? Do special effects raise cinema to the status of a “high art” on par with literature, or do they show that cinema is merely entertainment? Students will debate these ideas and more, in writing and discussion, while researching the history and technology of special effects. Students will also dive deep into film history, as we discuss examples from the heyday of German silent cinema (Metropolis, Nosferatu, The Student of Prague) to contemporary Hollywood blockbusters (Jurassic Park, Avatar, Everything Everywhere All at Once).