This course will focus on the historical relationship between modern democracy and the evolution of the media. We will begin by analyzing the role played by the press and the circulation of the written word (most notably the novel) in the constitution of a public sphere for political debate in the 18th and 19th centuries. We will consider various arguments concerning the close correspondence between the birth of modern democracy and the increased availability of the printed word. We will then look at the invention of film and the evolution of visual culture through the course of the 20th century by asking a very similar series of questions: Has the circulation of information via the media served to perpetuate democracy? How can the democratic potential of the media be perverted by various social and political forces? What is the role of technology in the construction and transformation of “political cultures” (i.e., the perceptual frameworks that construct a common vision of the world)? The course will conclude by studying some of the most recent developments in the relationship between media and democracy (Internet, the boom in politicized documentaries) as well as the symbolic codification of September 11th.
Method of presentation:
Lecture, discussions, films, field study activities.
Required work and form of assessment:
Attendance, preparation and participation (15%); quizzes and weekly assignments (20%); mid-term paper (30%); final paper (35%).
Students will be expected to arrive on time having done the homework and prepared to engage with the material. Since attendance is the students’ responsibility, they will be expected to inform the professor of every excused absence ahead of time so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
In order to ensure that students are keeping up with the weekly homework, occasional short quizzes will be given concerning the readings and course discussions. These can sometimes take the form of spontaneous “pop quizzes” if the students show signs of not coming to class prepared. The quizzes will be supplemented with occasional one-page weekly responses to questions concerning the reading. In general, students should expect to have either a short quiz or one-page response per week.
The mid-term requirements will be explained in detail as of the second class. Students will be expected to write a well-researched analysis of one of the major themes of the first half of the class (6-8 pages), which will be due on the sixth session. Extensive indications will be given concerning the bibliography.
The final paper requirements will be explained in detail as of the sixth class. An outline, rough draft, and final version of a research paper will be required during the second half of the semester. The topic for the research paper must be agreed upon with the professor well in advance (as of class 8). The research paper should be between 10-12 pages in length and must include both footnotes and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The research paper is to be submitted on the last day of class.
content:
1. General Introduction.
Bibliographical References:
Michel de Certeau. L’invention du quotidien 1. Arts de faire.
Claude Lefort. “La question de la démocratie.”
2. The Emergence of the Modern Press
Bibliographical References:
Carol Armbruster, ed. Publishing and Readership in Revolutionary France and America.
Roger Chartier. Lectures et lecteurs dans la France d’Ancien Régime.
Norman Hampson, Le siècle des Lumières.
J.J. Kloek and W.W. Mijnhardt. “The Eighteenth-Century Revolution in Reading: A Myth?”
Reinhard Wittmann. “Une révolution de la lecture à la fin du XVIIIe siècle?”
3: The Transformation of the Public Sphere
Bibliographical References:
Craig Calhoun, ed. Habermas and the Public Sphere.
Nancy Fraser. “Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy.”
Jürgen Habermas. Espace publique.
4: Publication and Revolution
Bibliographical References:
Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier. “Introduction.” Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental.
Robert Darnton and Daniel Roche, eds. Revolution in Print: The Press in France, 1775-1800.
Hugh Gough. The Newspaper Press in the French Revolution.
Carla Hesse. Publishing and Cultural Politics in Revolutionary Paris, 1789-1810.
John Keane. The Media and Democracy.
Claude Lefort. “Foyers du républicanisme.”
Jeremy D. Popkin. Revolutionary News: The Press in France, 1789-1799.
5: The Democratic Letter
Bibliographical References:
Claude Lefort. “Tocqueville: Démocratie et art d’écrire.”
Martyn Lyons. “Les nouveaux lecteurs au XIXe siècle: Femmes, enfants, ouvriers.”
Jacques Rancière. La parole muette.
Alexis de Tocqueville. De la démocratie en Amérique.
6: Film and Global Vision
Mid-term paper due
Bibliographical References:
Theodor Adorno. The Culture Industry.
Alison McMahan. “Beginnings.” European Cinema.
Jacques Rancière. La fable cinématographique.
Paul Virilio. Guerre et cinéma.
Raymond Williams. “Culture and Technology.” The Politics of Modernism.
7: Propaganda in the Technology Age
Bibliographical References:
Noam Chomsky. Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)
Noam Chomsky. De la propagande: Entretiens avec David Barsamian.
Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman. La fabrique de l'opinion publique: La politique économique des médias américains.
Robert Greenwald. Outfoxed.
Paul Marris, ed. Media Studies: A Reader.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
8: The Era of Simulacra
Bibliographical References:
Jean Baudrillard. La guerre du golfe n’a pas eu lieu.
Jean Baudrillard. Simulacres et simulation.
Bernard Stiegler. De la misère symbolique. Tome 1. L'époque hyperindustrielle.
9: Internet and Democracy
Bibliographical References:
Frédéric Barbier and Catherine Bertho Lavenir. Histoire des médias: De Diderot à Internet.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
Paul Virilio. La bombe informatique.
10: September 11th and the Reconfiguration of the Vision of Global Politics
Bibliographical References:
Jacques Derrida and Jürgen Habermas. Le concept du 11 septembre: Dialogues à New York (octobre-décembre 2001) avec Giovanna Borradori.
Marc Lits. Du 11 septembre à la riposte: Les débuts d'une nouvelle guerre médiatique.
Robert McChesney, Russell Newman and Ben Scott. The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century.
11: Media and Resistance: The Recent Boom in Political Documentaries
References:
Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar. The Corporation.
Robert Greenwald’s “Un” Trilogy Series.
Michael Moore. Fahrenheit 9/11.
Jehane Noujaim. Control Room.
Errol Morris. The Fog of War.
12: Conclusion: Media and the Future of Democracy
Final paper due
Bibliographical References:
Catherine Bertho Lavenir. La démocratie et les médias au XXe siècle.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
Required readings:
Adorno, Theodor. The Culture Industry.
Armbruster, Carol (ed.). Publishing and Readership in Revolutionary France and America.
Barbier, Frédéric and Catherine Bertho Lavenir. Histoire des médias: De Diderot à Internet.
Baudrillard, Jean. La guerre du golfe n’a pas eu lieu.
------------. Simulacres et simulation.
Calhoun, Craid (ed.). Habermas and the Public Sphere.
Cavallo, Guglielmo and Roger Chartier. “Introduction.” Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental.
Chartier, Roger. Lectures et lecteurs dans la France d’Ancien Régime.
Chomsky, Noam. De la propagande: Entretiens avec David Barsamian.
------------. Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)
Chomsky, Noam and Edward S. Herman. La fabrique de l'opinion publique: La politique économique des médias américains.
Darnton, Robert and Daniel Roche, eds. Revolution in Print: The Press in France, 1775-1800.
de Certeau, Michael. L’invention du quotidien 1. Arts de faire.
Derrida, Jacques and Jürgen Habermas. Le concept du 11 septembre: Dialogues à New York (octobre-décembre 2001) avec Giovanna Borradori.
de Tocqueville, Alexis. De la démocratie en Amérique.
Fraser, Nancy. “Rethinking the Public Sphere: A contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy.”
Gough, Hugh. The Newspaper Press in the French Revolution.
Habermas, Jürgen. Espace publique.
Hampson, Norman. Le siècle des Lumières.
Hesse, Carla. Publishing and Cultural Politics in Revolutionary Paris, 1789-1810.
Keane, John. The Media and Democracy.
Kloek, J.J. and W.W. Mijnhardt. “The Eighteenth-Century Revolution in Reading: A Myth?”
Lavenir, Catherine Bertho. La démocratie et les médias au XXe siècle.
Lefort, Claude. “Foyers du républicanisme.”
------------. “La question de la démocratie.”
------------. “Tocqueville: Démocratie et art d’écrire.”
Lits, Marc. Du 11 septembre à la riposte: Les débuts d'une nouvelle guerre médiatique.
Lyons, Martyn. “Les nouveaux lecteurs au XIXe siècle: Femmes, enfants, ouvriers.”
Marris, Paul (ed.). Media Studies: A Reader.
McChesney, Robert. The Problem of the Media.
McChesney, Robert and Russell Newman and Ben Scott. The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century.
McMahan, Alison. “Beginnings.” European Cinema.
Popkin, Jeremy D. Revolutionary News: The Press in France, 1789-1799.
Rancière, Jacques. La fable cinématographique.
------------. La parole muette.
Stiegler, Bernard. De la misère symbolique. Tome 1. L'époque hyperindustrielle.
Virilio, Paul. Guerre et cinéma.
------------. La bombe informatique.
Williams, Raymond. “Culture and Technology.” The Politics of Modernism.
Wittmann, Reinhard. “Une révolution de la lecture à la fin du XVIIIe siècle?”
Recommended readings:
Abbott, Jennifer and Mark Achbar. The Corporation.
Greenwald, Robert. “Un” Trilogy Series.
Greenwald, Robert. Outfoxed.
Moore, Michael. Fahrenheit 9/11.
Morris, Errol. The Fog of War.
Noujaim, Jehane. Control Room.
Democracy And The Media
This course will focus on the historical relationship between modern democracy and the evolution of the media. We will begin by analyzing the role played by the press and the circulation of the written word (most notably the novel) in the constitution of a public sphere for political debate in the 18th and 19th centuries. We will consider various arguments concerning the close correspondence between the birth of modern democracy and the increased availability of the printed word. We will then look at the invention of film and the evolution of visual culture through the course of the 20th century by asking a very similar series of questions: Has the circulation of information via the media served to perpetuate democracy? How can the democratic potential of the media be perverted by various social and political forces? What is the role of technology in the construction and transformation of “political cultures” (i.e., the perceptual frameworks that construct a common vision of the world)? The course will conclude by studying some of the most recent developments in the relationship between media and democracy (Internet, the boom in politicized documentaries) as well as the symbolic codification of September 11th.
Lecture, discussions, films, field study activities.
Attendance, preparation and participation (15%); quizzes and weekly assignments (20%); mid-term paper (30%); final paper (35%).
Students will be expected to arrive on time having done the homework and prepared to engage with the material. Since attendance is the students’ responsibility, they will be expected to inform the professor of every excused absence ahead of time so that the necessary arrangements can be made.
In order to ensure that students are keeping up with the weekly homework, occasional short quizzes will be given concerning the readings and course discussions. These can sometimes take the form of spontaneous “pop quizzes” if the students show signs of not coming to class prepared. The quizzes will be supplemented with occasional one-page weekly responses to questions concerning the reading. In general, students should expect to have either a short quiz or one-page response per week.
The mid-term requirements will be explained in detail as of the second class. Students will be expected to write a well-researched analysis of one of the major themes of the first half of the class (6-8 pages), which will be due on the sixth session. Extensive indications will be given concerning the bibliography.
The final paper requirements will be explained in detail as of the sixth class. An outline, rough draft, and final version of a research paper will be required during the second half of the semester. The topic for the research paper must be agreed upon with the professor well in advance (as of class 8). The research paper should be between 10-12 pages in length and must include both footnotes and a bibliography of primary and secondary sources. The research paper is to be submitted on the last day of class.
1. General Introduction.
Bibliographical References:
Michel de Certeau. L’invention du quotidien 1. Arts de faire.
Claude Lefort. “La question de la démocratie.”
2. The Emergence of the Modern Press
Bibliographical References:
Carol Armbruster, ed. Publishing and Readership in Revolutionary France and America.
Roger Chartier. Lectures et lecteurs dans la France d’Ancien Régime.
Norman Hampson, Le siècle des Lumières.
J.J. Kloek and W.W. Mijnhardt. “The Eighteenth-Century Revolution in Reading: A Myth?”
Reinhard Wittmann. “Une révolution de la lecture à la fin du XVIIIe siècle?”
3: The Transformation of the Public Sphere
Bibliographical References:
Craig Calhoun, ed. Habermas and the Public Sphere.
Nancy Fraser. “Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy.”
Jürgen Habermas. Espace publique.
4: Publication and Revolution
Bibliographical References:
Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chartier. “Introduction.” Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental.
Robert Darnton and Daniel Roche, eds. Revolution in Print: The Press in France, 1775-1800.
Hugh Gough. The Newspaper Press in the French Revolution.
Carla Hesse. Publishing and Cultural Politics in Revolutionary Paris, 1789-1810.
John Keane. The Media and Democracy.
Claude Lefort. “Foyers du républicanisme.”
Jeremy D. Popkin. Revolutionary News: The Press in France, 1789-1799.
5: The Democratic Letter
Bibliographical References:
Claude Lefort. “Tocqueville: Démocratie et art d’écrire.”
Martyn Lyons. “Les nouveaux lecteurs au XIXe siècle: Femmes, enfants, ouvriers.”
Jacques Rancière. La parole muette.
Alexis de Tocqueville. De la démocratie en Amérique.
6: Film and Global Vision
Mid-term paper due
Bibliographical References:
Theodor Adorno. The Culture Industry.
Alison McMahan. “Beginnings.” European Cinema.
Jacques Rancière. La fable cinématographique.
Paul Virilio. Guerre et cinéma.
Raymond Williams. “Culture and Technology.” The Politics of Modernism.
7: Propaganda in the Technology Age
Bibliographical References:
Noam Chomsky. Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)
Noam Chomsky. De la propagande: Entretiens avec David Barsamian.
Noam Chomsky and Edward S. Herman. La fabrique de l'opinion publique: La politique économique des médias américains.
Robert Greenwald. Outfoxed.
Paul Marris, ed. Media Studies: A Reader.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
8: The Era of Simulacra
Bibliographical References:
Jean Baudrillard. La guerre du golfe n’a pas eu lieu.
Jean Baudrillard. Simulacres et simulation.
Bernard Stiegler. De la misère symbolique. Tome 1. L'époque hyperindustrielle.
9: Internet and Democracy
Bibliographical References:
Frédéric Barbier and Catherine Bertho Lavenir. Histoire des médias: De Diderot à Internet.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
Paul Virilio. La bombe informatique.
10: September 11th and the Reconfiguration of the Vision of Global Politics
Bibliographical References:
Jacques Derrida and Jürgen Habermas. Le concept du 11 septembre: Dialogues à New York (octobre-décembre 2001) avec Giovanna Borradori.
Marc Lits. Du 11 septembre à la riposte: Les débuts d'une nouvelle guerre médiatique.
Robert McChesney, Russell Newman and Ben Scott. The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century.
11: Media and Resistance: The Recent Boom in Political Documentaries
References:
Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar. The Corporation.
Robert Greenwald’s “Un” Trilogy Series.
Michael Moore. Fahrenheit 9/11.
Jehane Noujaim. Control Room.
Errol Morris. The Fog of War.
12: Conclusion: Media and the Future of Democracy
Final paper due
Bibliographical References:
Catherine Bertho Lavenir. La démocratie et les médias au XXe siècle.
Robert McChesney. The Problem of the Media.
Adorno, Theodor. The Culture Industry.
Armbruster, Carol (ed.). Publishing and Readership in Revolutionary France and America.
Barbier, Frédéric and Catherine Bertho Lavenir. Histoire des médias: De Diderot à Internet.
Baudrillard, Jean. La guerre du golfe n’a pas eu lieu.
------------. Simulacres et simulation.
Calhoun, Craid (ed.). Habermas and the Public Sphere.
Cavallo, Guglielmo and Roger Chartier. “Introduction.” Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental.
Chartier, Roger. Lectures et lecteurs dans la France d’Ancien Régime.
Chomsky, Noam. De la propagande: Entretiens avec David Barsamian.
------------. Distorted Morality: America's War on Terror? (DVD)
Chomsky, Noam and Edward S. Herman. La fabrique de l'opinion publique: La politique économique des médias américains.
Darnton, Robert and Daniel Roche, eds. Revolution in Print: The Press in France, 1775-1800.
de Certeau, Michael. L’invention du quotidien 1. Arts de faire.
Derrida, Jacques and Jürgen Habermas. Le concept du 11 septembre: Dialogues à New York (octobre-décembre 2001) avec Giovanna Borradori.
de Tocqueville, Alexis. De la démocratie en Amérique.
Fraser, Nancy. “Rethinking the Public Sphere: A contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy.”
Gough, Hugh. The Newspaper Press in the French Revolution.
Habermas, Jürgen. Espace publique.
Hampson, Norman. Le siècle des Lumières.
Hesse, Carla. Publishing and Cultural Politics in Revolutionary Paris, 1789-1810.
Keane, John. The Media and Democracy.
Kloek, J.J. and W.W. Mijnhardt. “The Eighteenth-Century Revolution in Reading: A Myth?”
Lavenir, Catherine Bertho. La démocratie et les médias au XXe siècle.
Lefort, Claude. “Foyers du républicanisme.”
------------. “La question de la démocratie.”
------------. “Tocqueville: Démocratie et art d’écrire.”
Lits, Marc. Du 11 septembre à la riposte: Les débuts d'une nouvelle guerre médiatique.
Lyons, Martyn. “Les nouveaux lecteurs au XIXe siècle: Femmes, enfants, ouvriers.”
Marris, Paul (ed.). Media Studies: A Reader.
McChesney, Robert. The Problem of the Media.
McChesney, Robert and Russell Newman and Ben Scott. The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century.
McMahan, Alison. “Beginnings.” European Cinema.
Popkin, Jeremy D. Revolutionary News: The Press in France, 1789-1799.
Rancière, Jacques. La fable cinématographique.
------------. La parole muette.
Stiegler, Bernard. De la misère symbolique. Tome 1. L'époque hyperindustrielle.
Virilio, Paul. Guerre et cinéma.
------------. La bombe informatique.
Williams, Raymond. “Culture and Technology.” The Politics of Modernism.
Wittmann, Reinhard. “Une révolution de la lecture à la fin du XVIIIe siècle?”
Abbott, Jennifer and Mark Achbar. The Corporation.
Greenwald, Robert. “Un” Trilogy Series.
Greenwald, Robert. Outfoxed.
Moore, Michael. Fahrenheit 9/11.
Morris, Errol. The Fog of War.
Noujaim, Jehane. Control Room.