USNA 266 - Life After the Death of Print

Institution:

Case Western Reserve University

Subject:

Description:

Around 1439, Johannes Gutenberg invented the moveable type printing press, a technological development that altered the world by ushering in an era of mass, reproducible communication. For nearly 500 years, print technologies have dominated communications. Scholars have shown that print's ability to disseminate information led to revolutions in art, science and politics. In short, print technologies have largely defined what it means to be a thinking and communicating human being. The emergence of digital technologies has altered communications in ways that are only now being understood. This course examines how developments in digital technologies impact communication practices by threatening print's historic stronghold. Consequently, the course also explores what impact new technologies have on human identity. We will consider the historical development of display technologies (printed materials and digital screens) to understand what is at stake in the move from print to digital communication. We will then investigate current phenomena associated with Web 2.0, including blogs and social networks, in order to understand how our communication choices construct and allow for our public and private identities. Additionally, the course will examine new display technologies, such as iPhones and Kindles, that allow for the possibly constant dissemination of those identities. Finally, we will hypothesize about how digital technologies force us to conceive of human identity differently from the ways that print invites. Prereq: Passing letter grade in a 100 level first year seminar in USFS, FSNA, FSCC, FSSO, FSSY or FSCS. Prereq or Coreq: FSTS 100.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.case.edu

Phone Number:

(216) 368-2000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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