sign in sign up
<<
Home , History of communication

COMS 200 | HISTORY OF SYLLABUS Department of Art History and , McGill University Instructors: Farah Atoui & Liza Tom Wednesdays and Fridays 4:05 - 5:25PM EST Winter 2021

Land acknowledgment: McGill University is situated on the traditional territory of the Kanien’kehà:ka, a place which has long served as a site of meeting and exchange amongst nations. We recognize and respect the Kanien’kehà:ka as the traditional custodians of the lands and waters on which we meet today.

Contact Details Instructor: Instructor: Teaching Assistant: Farah Atoui (she/her/hers) Liza Tom (she/her/hers) Ann Brody [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Office hours: Office hours: Office hours: Monday 2-3pm Thursday 10-11am TBC

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course is a critical overview of the sociopolitical histories of modern communication that shaped the 19th and 20th centuries. The focus is on the conditions that produced these modern tools of communication as well as on their social and political ramifications. The course examines an array of technologies, media forms and institutions—from railway and telegraph networks, to early film, photography, radio and the museum—through a postcolonial lens, and maintains a comparative approach to communication that reads against the of Western modernity and technological progress. By focusing on the relation between and power, the course aims to shed light on the role played by these technologies and media in re/producing and expanding (colonial) power relations, structures, and ideologies, as well as on their emancipatory potential for various historical contexts. The course also explores recurring cultural anxieties about gender, race, class, and national sovereignty that have shaped the production, circulation and use of modern communication technologies. The aim of this course is to provide a historical perspective on contemporary technologies and media to better understand some key themes that dominate current media debates, such as surveillance, governance, ideology, , fake news, the politics of representation, and the ecological impact of communication technologies.

COURSE DELIVERY AND LOGISTICS

MyCourses: McGill’s myCourses portal will be used to store all course materials, including course , recorded lectures, lecture presentations, and the course documents (syllabus, schedule, grading rubric, and various guides). We will also use myCourses for assignments, as well as to make announcements and answer questions in the discussion forum.

Class delivery: We will have two sessions every week. They will both be live. We strongly encourage all of you to attend all sessions synchronously whenever possible.

The Wednesday sessions are primarily for lectures, followed by a short session for questions and discussion. They will be recorded and be made available on myCourses for those who cannot attend them live. The Wednesday recordings on myCourses will be automatically captioned on upload. We will also upload our presentations after class for your reference.

In the Friday sessions students will be given prompts and questions by the instructors to discuss among themselves in Zoom break-out rooms and will then regroup with the instructors and other students to collectively talk through key concepts and take-aways. This session will not be recorded.

Readings: All readings are available as pdf files or links via myCourses: please refer to the weekly schedule for the list of assigned readings. All texts are important for class and can come up in questions in the midterm. There is also an “Additional Resources” file with other readings on class topics that we found interesting or relevant. These are for your reference only and are optional.

Discussion Forum: We encourage you to bring up questions on the course material (readings/lecture concepts) in class, so that we can collectively discuss them. If that is not possible, please post your question in the “Course Readings and Lectures” forum on myCourses (under the Discussions section) so that your fellow students can engage with your question and benefit from the answers.

Emails: Please go through your reading schedule and syllabus documents for answers to questions on assignments, deadlines, and weekly readings; please also check myCourses for announcements, the course calendar, and the “Readings and Lectures” discussion forum. If you have questions outside these topics, use . We will respond within 48 hours unless it is the weekend, in which case we will respond on the following Monday. We would prefer that you use office hours rather than email to discuss your assignments. Syllabus and evaluation changes: In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.

REQUIREMENTS AND EVALUATION

Assignments [% of final grade]:

2 x reading responses: 30% (15% each) Midterm examination: 25% Hypothesis and sources statement for the final essay: 15% Final essay: 30%

2 x reading responses [30% (15% each)]: Twice during this term you will write a reading response to a reading from one of the weekly modules and submit it on the Sunday prior to the Wednesday lecture in which we discuss the reading. You will be asked to pick your readings and submit your choice to the TA, by email, by January 17th. The response should be 350-500 words and should highlight what you found most interesting/challenging/important in that reading. The response should briefly summarize the discussed by the author and give some sense (through a short analysis) of why you think it is interesting, challenging or important. The two readings cannot be from the same weekly module. Your reading responses should be submitted under the “Reading Responses” forum in the discussion section of myCourses. Please make sure you post your response within the relevant weekly module.

For example, if your response is to Franz Fanon’s “This is the Voice of Algeria” (from the February 17th Radio module lecture), you will have to submit the response by February 14th (the Sunday before that module). In your post, specify the author to whom you are responding in the title. For example: ‘[Fanon] A response to “This is the Voice of Algeria”.’ Post this response in the Reading Responses forum under the topic “Week 6: The Radio”.

Midterm examination [25%]: The midterm examination will consist of essay questions. You will be given the option to pick two essay questions out of four. The exam is focused on course material and class topics and is meant to evaluate your understanding of readings and lectures, and your ability to engage with the important theoretical and practical debates that this course addresses. The suggested word count is 650-750 words per question.

Due date: Monday February 22, 2021. You will be provided with the questions on Friday February 19th after class, and you are required to submit your responses by Monday 5pm.

Hypothesis and sources statement for the final essay [15%]: The hypothesis is a statement that identifies your object of study for the final and shows how you will construct your arguments. State your chosen communication tool and its use clearly in the hypothesis. Highlight your main arguments — what is your hypothesis, how do your chosen texts support your arguments, what specific event/effect/use do you want to examine and why — in the abstract. This exercise is for us to get a sense of your topic and its feasibility, and for you to develop and argumentation skills. You will be given feedback based on topic feasibility, main arguments, writing, and choice of sources. Once you pick a topic for your hypothesis statement, you have to stay with it for your final essay.

Also provide two peer-reviewed/scholarly sources (with a 2-3 lines summary of each) that you will use for your essay. These sources cannot be from the reading schedule; you can use material from the additional resources document, or other work by authors in the reading schedule. The hypothesis should be around 500-700 words (not including your annotated sources list).

Due date: Sunday March 14, 2021.

Final essay [30%]: For your final essay, pick a communication tool/media form introduced prior to the -and-PC age—it could still be in use today—and develop a historical account of a specific political, cultural, ecological, economic use, or ramifications of its use. For this assignment, we will regard the start of the Internet-and-personal-computing-age as 1980, so any communication that was developed before is a potential option. Think about these questions when framing your essay: how did people/institutions/governments use this communication tool/media form, and to what end(s)? What were the ramifications/uses of the technology? We define “ramification/use” broadly here. It can mean anything—organizing protests, starting a newsletter, sharing news, exchange of , propaganda or advertising, changing intimate and personal interactions, representation, unequal access, or environmental impact. The aim of the essay is to place communication technologies within their particular historical, cultural and socio-economic contexts, and to think about how such technologies are embedded in popular culture, kinship, nation-building, politics, ecological change, war etc.

Try to make your chosen example as specific as possible. For instance: if your example is how newspapers influence elections, pick one particular newspaper in a particular geographic location to show how that happened. You can pick a technology, media or institution from any of our discussions, but cannot develop a historical account that we have already substantially discussed in class (for example: you can pick the telegraph, but your focus cannot be anti-colonial rebellion in India, which we discuss in class). The word count is 2000 words (10% over or under is fine). This does not include references or footnotes. The essay should reflect your understanding of themes and discussions from class.

Due date: Friday April 9, 2021.

Grading: Grades will be assigned according to the scale set out in the Arts and Sciences calendar, reproduced below. Grades in the “A” range are awarded only for superior work (and not merely sufficient performance). Grades in the “B” range are awarded for work that is satisfactory and fulfills all assignment requirements. In the “C” range they are awarded for less than satisfactory/less than sufficient work. Grades in the “D” range signal unsatisfactory or incomplete work. You can find a detailed grading rubric document on myCourses.

Grade Grade point Percentages A 4.0 85 -100 A- 3.7 80 - 84 B+ 3.3 75 - 79 B 3.0 70 - 74 B- 2.7 65 - 69 C+ 2.3 60 - 64 C 2.0 55 - 59 D (Conditional Pass) 1.0 50 - 54 F (Fail) 0 0 - 49

Grade Appeals: Assignments and quizzes are graded on the basis of performance, not effort. Grades are final, except where a mistake has been made in calculation. The instructor will consider a grade change under the following conditions: (a) if an error has been made in calculation, or (b) if you have not been held to the same standard as everyone else. If you want to clarify your grades, you should consult your instructor or TA during office hours, keeping in mind the criteria of evaluation on which your assignment was graded. The professor will neither defend nor contest the TA’s or grader’s evaluation; they will discuss ways in which you can understand the evaluation and improve upon your performance.

In the event you feel that you have received an undeserved grade and wish to dispute it, you must email the instructor within one week (7 days) of receiving the grade. The email must detail the grounds on which you are making an appeal, accompanied by the original assignment. Grade complaints will not be considered after the one-week deadline. If the instructor agrees to review your assignment and re-evaluate its grade, keep in mind that your grade could remain the same, be elevated, or be reduced.

Language: Conformément à la Charte des droits de l’étudiant de l’Université McGill, chaque étudiant a le droit de soumettre en français ou en anglais tout travail écrit devant être noté. In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded.

Extensions: All due dates are provided in advance, and we expect assignments on time. If for some reason you are unable to make a deadline, contact the instructors before the deadline. We will provide extensions to reasonable appeals only. If you do not submit your assignment within the deadline and have not contacted us with an extension request, there will be penalties. An assignment turned in after the deadline will be marked down 2% per day for a maximum of 7 days, after which it will receive a zero.

EXPECTATION & RESOURCES

Remote learning: Teaching and learning via remote means present additional challenges and responsibilities for maintaining a safe, inclusive and fair learning environment for everyone. It is presumed that teachers and students enrolled in COMS 200 commit to the following:

• I will not share my login or password information or share or provide access to course platforms and materials, with any third parties or individuals. • I will not distribute course materials (including lecture recordings and interactions with peers). • I will not copy, store or share images, recordings, identifying information or contact details of any course participants. • At all times, I will respect the privacy, safety and well-being of course participants. • I will refrain from initiating or sharing disrespectful, demeaning, lewd, aggressive, disruptive, abusive, bullying or otherwise inappropriate images, sound or text via any course platforms.

Failure to adhere to these commitments will be subject to the McGill Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures.

Zoom etiquette: Attend the Zoom sessions as if they were in-person classes — be respectful of every participant’s time and attention. Mute your audio unless you are talking, and do not use a distracting or offensive background. When it is not possible to raise a question by audio, use the chat function. You can bring food, water or your pets to your Zoom sessions! We need all the help we can get.

Class conduct: We will occasionally engage with conceptually challenging and sensitive material during the course. We welcome discussion and questions. We expect you to respectfully engage with your peers and instructors when expressing your opinions during class/on myCourses posts.

Technical Difficulties: If you have IT issues, please contact McGill IT support. If there are systemic problems with myCourses or Zoom please let us know, we will try to deal with them to the best of our ability, and in a way that does not penalize students for issues beyond their control. But we cannot handle glitches, slow internet, or hardware problems that might also occur during the semester. Please be prepared for such events by always backing up documents and submitting assignments ahead of the deadline.

Accommodations: If you require accommodations due to special circumstances, challenges or disabilities, please notify both the instructor and the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) as soon as possible. The OSD provides a broad range of support and services to assist students, faculty, and staff with disabilities (http://www.mcgill.ca/osd/). Every effort will be made to accommodate students with special needs arising from learning challenges and disabilities. Please note that the above commitment to accommodation applies equally to survivors of sexual assault and/or harassment on or off campus. Survivors are encouraged to consult the resources provided by the Students’ Society of McGill University (https://ssmu.ca/resources/sexual- violence/), the Sexual Assault Centre of the McGill Students’ Society (http://www.sacomss.org/wp/) and the McGill Office for Sexual Violence Response, Support and Education (https://www.mcgill.ca/osvrse/).

Illness, Mental Health and Other Barriers: If you should require assistance in the form of counselling, the Student Wellness Hub provides personal, academic, and career counseling to undergraduate and graduate students. The SSMU also provides access to a counselling service with 24/7/365 support from licensed counsellors through and mobile chat in over 60 languages here: https://ssmu.ca/blog/2020/03/mental-health-resource-available-keep-mesafe/.

McGill Coronavirus Guidelines: For more information on university guidelines for campus entry and safety protocols with respect to COVID-19, please consult this link: https://www.mcgill.ca/coronavirus/.

Other Key Resources: McGill Writing Centre: https://www.mcgill.ca/mwc/ McGill Teaching and Learning Services: https://www.mcgill.ca/tls/students McGill Library Services: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/ HathiTrust Emergency Service: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/about/hathitrust Temporary Open and Free Resources: https://www.mcgill.ca/library/covid-19-open-resources

Non-discrimination statement: As academics, we value equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial, ethnic, sexual, physical, and cultural diversity. Be assured that we will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. This will include enforcing the norms of open inquiry, respectful dialogue, and tolerant disagreement. In accordance with University policy, we will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, civil status, familial status, sexual orientation, or disability. We will also make every effort to avoid discrimination based on class or income. In addition to the University’s policy, we do not discriminate based on political creed. This means that you do not have to agree politically with the professor, TA or course material in order to do well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with it. If there is something we can do to make the class more hospitable, please let us know.

Academic integrity: Plagiarism is a serious offence and could result in a failing grade. McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the code of student conduct and disciplinary procedures (see www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/ for more information) | L'université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté académique. Il incombe par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que peuvent avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l'étudiant et des procédures disciplinaires (pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le site www.mcgill.ca/students/srr/honest/).

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Prof. Darin Barney, Prof. Jonathan Sterne, Prof. Jennifer Burman, Prof. Will Straw, Prof. Carrie Rentschler, and Prof. Angela Vanhaelen