Historiography of Media

COURSE OBJECTIVE
Course objectives:
1) Students become familiar with key developments in the historiography of media in the 20th and 21st centuries, and learn to see them in a larger historical and theoretical context.
2) Students will practice the application of their knowledge to new phenomena.
3) Students will learn to study certain aspects of, and/or perspectives in, media historiography in greater depth and on the basis of an independent literature search and review.
4) Students learn how to find and critically analyze, discuss and compare texts and images.
5) Students will deepen their writing skills: they will practice to formulate a research question in the field of media historiography, find and review relevant literature about it, and write a critical essay in the context of what they have learned during the course.

COURSE CONTENT
The course builds on Film and Media History (L_AABAMKD202). It offers a survey of the major trends and debates regarding the historiography of Film and Media. It raises general questions about historical knowledge and the representation of history, while focusing more specifically on writings in/about film, television and media history. How have authors conceived of the history of media; from what perspectives and through which methodologies have they legitimated it; and how were they influenced by adjacent disciplines. We will discuss how the way of writing of a particular media history goes hand in hand with a certain view on the meaning and function of media. Screenings will be a regular part of the course.

TEACHING METHODS
Weekly lectures & Seminars/screenings 

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
- Attendance & In-class presentations in groups and individually (o-v-g)
- Written exam (40% of the final grade)
- Final essay (level 200) (60% of the final grade)

All assignments have to be successfully completed to receive the final grade, i.e. the grades of essay and exam have to be higher than 5.5, a “pass” in the final paper does not compensate a “fail” in the exam!

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Students must have followed:
- 1st year courses Historisch Overzicht MKDA Vroegmodern; Historisch Overzicht MKDA Modern; Historisch Overzicht MKDA Contemporary
- 2nd year course Film and Media History (L_AABAMKD202).