This course explores the rise of technologies of communication and media in Western culture from ancient times to the present. The course approaches “communication revolutions” in several ways: We will analyze changes, continuities, and cycles of innovation in communication/media technologies, information systems, and media forms; We’ll consider communication revolutions so-called as processes (social, political, technological, cultural), which tend to be sudden, unpredictable, and difficult to compare. When, where, why, and how revolutions “start,” not to mention when and where they “end,” and their short and long term consequences, can rarely be determined in advance, nor in the midst of their turbulent unfolding; Third, while boosters (corporations, pundits, entrepreneurs) are quick to announce the latest technological innovation to be “revolutionary,” we will examine such claims carefully and critically. We will accumulate historical perspectives to contextualize and better assess contemporary developments.