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76639-01 - Proseminar: Field Recording, Extractivism and Beyond (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2025 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Stanislav Sharifullin |
| Content | This proseminar combines theoretical discussions with practical sessions, offering participants an introduction to the critical history of sound capture technologies—from early music notation and pre-modern techniques to contemporary audio recording devices. Through case studies focused on North and Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and Northern America, we will examine how these technologies were deployed across different geographies and historical periods during colonial rule, in the processes of colonization and decolonization, and in their aftermath. The seminar will explore how field recording and musical ethnography functioned as tools of knowledge extraction, and how the resulting materials were appropriated by colonial powers to construct and reinforce imperial narratives of exoticization and othering. |
| Learning objectives | Participants will gain foundational knowledge of key concepts, methods, and theories for the systematic analysis of audio recordings and sonic works. They will also be introduced to basic field recording techniques and creative approaches used by contemporary practitioners, particularly in contexts that engage with or challenge historical dynamics of knowledge extraction. |
| Bibliography | zur Vorbereitung: -Dylan Robinson: Hungry Listening. Resonant Theory for Indigenous Sound Studies. University of Minnesota Press 2020 -(Optional) Jacques Attali: Noise. The Political Economy of Music (Theory and History of Literature, Vol. 16). University of Minnesota Press 1985 -(Optional) Budhaditya Chattopadhyay: Sound Practices in the Global South. Co-listening to Resounding Plurilogues. Palgrave Macmillan 2022 |
| Course application | Anmeldung über MOnA notwendig (services.unibas.ch). |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Tuesday | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday 16.09.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 23.09.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 30.09.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 07.10.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 14.10.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 21.10.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 28.10.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 04.11.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 11.11.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 18.11.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 25.11.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 02.12.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 09.12.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Tuesday 16.12.2025 | 16.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Bluebox |
| Modules |
Modul: Basisstudium Einführungsmodul (Bachelor's degree subject: Media Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | To receive credit for the proseminar, the following are required: Regular and thorough preparation of the assigned texts for each proseminar session, Active participation in course discussions, Preparation of a brief introduction (no longer than 10 minutes) to one of the texts to be discussed—this can also be done in a group In addition, participants must write two short critical essays, position papers, or audio papers (1–2 pages each) over the course of the semester. These papers should formulate questions from a media studies perspective to prepare for and stimulate proseminar discussion. As the course engages with open and current questions, committed intellectual engagement is essential to its success.If a student is absent without excuse more than once, the proseminar cannot be credited. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Medienwissenschaft |