This class is a U.S.-based history of the digital. While first acknowledging that all media were once new, this class goes on to explore in-depth a more recent period in this long history – the rise of “digital media.” Computers, software, and communications technologies and the social, cultural and artistic exchanges that occur through them have emerged from and actively remediated prior forms like radio, film, and television. At the same time, digital cultures have introduced and spread new kinds of content and experiences across a range of networks and devices. The affordances of digital life feel ubiquitous today, but has it always been that way? We will consider the historical development of computers, the Internet, and the many social and industrial implications these contemporary technologies of entertainment and communication open up. Familiarizing yourself with this history will allow you to better understand current issues facing you today as a new media user and producer, and to integrate this knowledge into your academic studies, career aspirations, creative production, social life, and everyday existence.

Course Requirements:

Students will be assessed based on mandatory attendance and participation, on multiple writing assignments and responses to readings and screenings, and a final paper/project. 

Intended Audience:

Juniors and Seniors, DSI minors, and FTVM majors.

Class Format:

This course meets twice a week for 80 minutes plus a 1-2 hour at-home screening every week.