Media Cultures Marshall McLuhan and Contemporary Media

Marshall McLuhan's now proverbial phrase that -The Medium is the Message/Massage- has become a major point of reference for contemporary media studies. Discussions of the so-called new media and recent theoretical exploration of media culture usually take McLuhan's ground-breaking writings as a point of departure in their investigations of media and society. Since diverse forms of media have become immensely importance in social and cultural affairs, it is in place to approach McLuhan's theories from a contemporary perspective and discuss his writing in the light of a rapidly growing mediatization of society at large. First, this course introduces students to McLuhan's theories and fosters an in-depth reading of his major works, and, second, it discusses McLuhan's legacy in the light of more recent concepts and ideas of media studies in Europe, Canada, the U.S., and elsewhere. We will also investigate some of the repercussions of McLuhan's theories on an international scale and explore, among others, the writings of Neil Postman on amusement and public culture, Paul Virilio's explorations of speed and his insights into the relationship between war and media, and Walter Ong's ideas on technology, orality, and literacy. A variety of examples from contemporary North American media culture will feed into our discussions, ranging from excerpts of William Gibson's novels through present-day television, movies, advertising clips and cyberculture to Canadian writer Douglas Coupland's 2010 biography of Marshall McLuhan, You Know Nothing of My Work! Students are required to read and get their own copy of Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man (1964; Cambridge: MIT, 1999); McLuhan and Quentin Fiore's The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects (1967; Corte Madera, CA: Gingko P, 2001); Douglas Coupland, Marshall McLuhan: You Know Nothing of My Work! (New York: Atlas, 2010). Other texts to be read and discussed will be distributed in class or be available for download. Anglistik - Amerikanistik Lehramtsstudierende: Zwischenprüfung BA-LKM: Module 1-3 abgeschlossen 2 LP (Lehramt, BA): short oral presentation with a handout of 2 pages OR short written assignment on a topic that is not dealt with in class (1000-1500 words) 5 LP (Lehramt): oral presentation / expert session with handout and written assignment(s) (total of 2500-3500 words) 7 LP (BA): oral presentation / expert session with handout and written assignment(s) (total of 3500-4500 words) Universität Siegen WiSe 2011/12 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Schmidt Kerstin