HIST-LIT 90GE: Screen Cultures from Cinema to TikTok

The way we see the world is growing inseparable from the way our screens show that world to us. It would be almost impossible to avoid screens for even a single day. This course follows the 125-year history of screen cultures in the United States—from motion pictures, to television, to personal computers, Gameboys, and, of course, smartphones. How have people engaged with screens, and how have these responses changed along with the technology? How did those in power try to use screens or limit them in response to larger political events and concerns? How have U.S. and transnational screen cultures shaped or troubled racial boundaries and gender binaries? What is the relationship between culture, media, and technology? In this course, students will interact with screens in material form and assume the role of viewer for a range of different screen products: films, animation, television shows, video games, websites, and TikTok videos. Additionally, we will also read newspaper and magazine accounts, fiction, and poetry to explore the cultural reception of screens, while engaging with the work of critics and artists including Stuart Hall, Marlon Riggs, and Walter Benjamin.

This course is a discussion-based seminar, with enrollment capped at 15 students. This course will prioritize enrollment for first-year and sophomore students considering concentrating in History & Literature, but all years and concentrations are welcome, and no prior knowledge of film, television, or media is required. There are no prerequisites. We will conduct field trips to the Harvard Film Archive and (likely, to be finalized) the Harvard Art Museums, and we will also experiment in class with devices including the Game Boy and the iPhone.

Draft Syllabus (subject to change before September):

Draft Syllabus PDF