Social-history of media

Teacher(s)

Patriarche Geoffroy;

Language

French

Prerequisites

The prerequisite(s) for this Teaching Unit (Unité d’enseignement – UE) for the programmes/courses that offer this Teaching Unit are specified at the end of this sheet.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to :

To find one’s way in the history of analogue and digital media. To problematize the social, cultural, political, economic and technological dynamics that have contributed to the emergence and evolution of the media. To develop a critical eye on the transformations of the media landscape (including digital transformations) and their social, cultural and political dimensions. To apply basic skills in the production and live broadcasting of an online audiovisual content for a media education and/or scientific popularization purpose.

Content

The teaching unit provides a set of socio-historical benchmarks on the emergence and evolution of ‘analog’ and ‘digital’ media. Social, cultural, political, economic and technological aspects of the history of media (and audiences) are addressed. Each time, the aim is to situate the media (and their audiences) in a multidimensional context that shapes their evolution (one can think, for example, of the political context or technological innovation) but on which they also act.

The teaching unit also offers students the opportunity to learn how to produce an audiovisual or multimedia production for media literacy and/or science popularisation purpose.

Teaching methods

The teaching unit uses two teaching methods:
1) Students will be required to read in depth a series of texts on the social-history of the media. This reading is first done on an individual basis. Then, during class sessions (face-to-face or at a distance), students help each other to answer collectively a series of questions (reading guides provided beforehand) aimed at structuring their understanding of the texts. They can freely use the resources available on the internet (face-to-face classes are held in a computer room). Moodle will be used to share these resources throughout the class as a whole.
2) Students in small groups (if necessary at a distance) will also be asked to produce an audiovisual or multimedia production consisting of a presentation of scientific texts extending one of the teaching unit’s compulsory readings. The exact arrangements for producing and evaluating the productions will be specified at the beginning of the course.
This teaching unit does not include any lectures as such. It relies on the fact that students work on the course material on their own and take advantage of the course sessions to collectively develop a knowledge of the ‘subject’. The active participation of students is therefore a prerequisite for the smooth running and success of the teaching unit.
A few class sessions take place at a distance

Evaluation methods

 The evaluation has two components:
1) a written examination (60% of the final mark) on compulsory readings. The exam may include closed and/or open-ended questions. Students may have annotated course materials for the examination. If the health situation requires it, the written exam is taken remotely on Moodle. 
2) the audiovisual/multimedia production, which extends and enriches one of the compulsory readings (40% of the final mark). The exact evaluation criteria will be specified at the beginning of the course. This performance is subject to a collective mark. 
The teaching unit cannot run smoothly without the active participation of students in the course sessions. This is why the attendance is checked at each session, either in person or at a distance. A student who is absent without justification from more than two sessions obtains an overall mark of 0/20 in June.
The final grade is the result of a weighted average of the marks obtained in the two components of the assessment. An assignment that is not presented is considered as an absence and therefore results in the failure of the teaching unit. In the event of failure of the final grade, the failed components of the assessment must be represented.
The same assessments as in June apply in September, except that:
- the audiovisual production is made individually unless the whole sub-group fails, in which case the audiovisual production is made collectively;
- attendance is no longer taken into account.
The audiovisual production is a personal production. Citation and referencing rules must be strictly followed. The use of generative AI is accepted as long as it is occasional, limited and explicitly indicated. Any part of the work that relies on generative AI must be clearly identified, specifying which generative AI tool was used and how it was used in the part concerned.

Other information

The compulsory readings may be in English.

Online resources

The teaching unit has a website on Moodle.

Bibliography

La liste des lectures obligatoires sera fournie en début de cours.
Bibliographie indicative :
Arnold, K., Preston, P., et Kinnebrock, S. (dir.), The Handbook of European Communication History, Wiley-Blackwell, 2019.
Balbi, G., et Magaudda, P., A History of Digital Media. An Intermedia and Global Perspective, Londres et New York, Routledge, 2018.
Barbier, F., et Bertho-Lavenir,C., Histoire des médias de Diderot à Internet, Paris, Armand Colin, 1996.
Briggs, A., et Burke, P., A Social History of the Media, 4ème éd. revue et mise à jour par E. Ytreberg, Polity, 2020.
Eisenstein, E. L., La Révolution de l'imprimé à l'aube de l'Europe moderne, Paris, La Découverte, 1991.
Flichy, P. Une histoire de la communication moderne. Espace public et vie privée, Paris, La Découverte, 1997.
Jeanneney, J.-N., Une histoire des médias des origines à nos jours, Paris, Seuil, 1996.
Van den Dungen, P., Milieux de presse et journalistes en Belgique (1828-1914), Bruxelles, Académie royale de Belgique, 2005

Teaching materials

• Socio-histoire des médias - Portefeuille de lecture

Faculty or entity

ESPB