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69387-01 - Seminar: Geologies of Media: Material Histories and Environmental Politics of Communication Technologies (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2023 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers | Maria Eriksson (maria.eriksson@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | From the large-scale production of cellulose to make paper, to the use of liquid beetle secretions in the manufacturing of gramophone records, and the use of water to cool and power modern data centers, information technologies have always been closely associated with the extraction and exploitation of natural resources. This seminar explores the environmental histories of media and highlights how past and present media systems depend on planetary flows of matter and energy. Throughout the semester, we will study the material epistemologies and life histories of everyday communication tools, starting from their birth out of substances such as oil, wood, metals, and rare-earth minerals, and ending with their death as information rubbish and toxic electronic waste. What – to borrow from Liam Cole Young (p.3) – is the place of nature and the earth in digital tools, media devices, and global communication infrastructures? And how can we understand the multiple ways in which media and the environment are entangled? [Ref.: Young, Liam Cole. 2020. “Salt: Fragments from the History of a Medium.” Theory, Culture & Society 37(6).] |
| 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 | Monday | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 18.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 25.09.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 02.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | fällt aus, -- |
| Monday 09.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 16.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 23.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | fällt aus; Projektwoche |
| Monday 30.10.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 06.11.2023 | 14.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 13.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 20.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 27.11.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 04.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | fällt aus, -- |
| Monday 11.12.2023 | 14.15-16.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Monday 18.12.2023 | 14.15-18.00 | Holbeinstrasse 12, Projektraum 1.OG |
| Modules |
Modul: Aufbaustudium Medienökologien (Bachelor's degree subject: Media Studies) Modul: Materialitäten (Master's degree program: Cultural Techniques) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| 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 |