English/Film Studies 312: Cinema and Digital Culture
Spring 2017
Professor Tami Williams
E-mail:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
From cinema to cell phones, and most recently, augmented reality games, the multimedia context of contemporary life is rapidly changing. From the late 19th century kinetoscope to the 21st century iPhone, moving image culture has, in fact, never stopped reinventing or creating itself anew. This course provides a general introduction to the study of moving image culture in the digital age.
We will examine the nature of the digital from a variety of perspectives: technological, economic, and social. However, our primary approach will be cultural and aesthetic. Namely, we will look at how "new media," such as digital cinema, virtual reality, video games, and the “World Wide Web,” refashion earlier forms such asfilmand television, as well as how these latter are, themselves, influenced by emerging media. In addition to studying critical, historical and theoretical texts on cinema and digital technologies, we will consider the place of the Self within the context of digital media.Class discussions will focus on readings,filmand media viewings, and web visits.
There are no prerequisites for this course and you are not expected to have any prior knowledge of mediastudies. However, you are expected to treat the material as a serious object of study. We will begin with the premise that cinema and digital media offer much more than "entertainment," and accordingly, a study of these forms is an undertaking that requires rigor and diligence, as well as much fun making! This class also counts towards theFilm Studiesmajor, as well as theMedia, Cinema and Digital Studiestrack in English.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
All readings are available on D2L under “Course Readings.” They are listed under corresponding unit numbers (1-4). Feel free to read articles online or to print them out.
For those whoprefera hard copy, many of the readings come from three available course books:
· The New Media Book. ed. Dan Harries. London: BFI, 2002 (H)
· Remediation: Understanding New Media. Jay Bolter & Richard Grusin. Cambridge: MIT, 2000 (BG)
· Moving Data: The iPhone and the Future of Media. Pelle Snickars and Patrick Vondereau. N.Y.: Columbia University Press, 2012 (SV)
SCREENINGS:
As this is a cinema and digital studies course, each week you are required to screenoneor more films, TV shows, and/or games, along with relevant websites. You are responsible for locating (online or otherwise) the film, game or program that youchoosefrom the list, and to view (or play) it on your own time. A weekly “screening” is required, so you must make sure that you have the time and technical capacity for viewing.
Films: You will be given several film options for each unit. Most are available at the UWM Media Library (Golda Meir west wing), or arerentable(via libraries, video stores, or Netflix.com). Many are viewable onfree-websites(e.g. Hulu.com, Mubi.com or TheAuteurs.com). I also encourage you to propose your own discoveries and relevant viewing suggestions to the D2L discussion board.
TV Programs: During the course, you may be given the option to watch certain types of TV programs (e.g. a reality show likeTop CheforThe Bachelor), but you will never be required to watch a specific episode (unless it is made available online).
Web Sites: On occasion, you may be asked to visit websites that require free plug-ins (e.g. QuickTime or Flash) to view streaming videos. While most computers already have these, UWM has additionaltechnical support resourcesavailable if needed.
Note: Online Schedule Format (subject to announced changes):
Since this is an online course, our schedule differs from that of a traditional face-to-face (F2F) course.
Our course week will run from Monday to Sunday, with Monday being a prep day, to allow time for readings and viewings.
Also, the course is largely 'asynchronous,' meaning you have the freedom to post at any hour (midnight if you like!), as long as you meet the weekly deadlines (listed in course schedule).
The course is divided into 4 Units:
I. 'New' Media: Technologies & Production
II.Texts & Contexts: Digital Video (DV) Realism & Digital F/X
III. 'New' Forms: Virtual Reality & Video Games
IV. Self, Other & Digital Media: Reality TV; Social Networking & Culture Jamming