Media Archaeology

The course aims to provide students with a general understanding of the theoretical frameworks and critical tools of media archaeology by integrating methodologies drawn from different disciplinary fields, including philosophy and critical theory, film and media theory and history, anthropology and the philosophy of technology, as well as sound studies and visual culture studies. Through the analysis of case studies and thematic investigations, the course introduces students to understanding past, present, and emerging media by considering the material conditions as well as the episteme and the imaginary that have accompanied their advent. A specific objective of the course is tracing genealogies capable of illuminating contemporary media system, by drawing attention to technological trajectories that have been interrupted or abandoned, being therefore neglected by evolutionary approaches to media history. The critical tools provided by the course may be applied both to advanced studies of media dynamics and to future professional activities in the fields of multimedia design, production, and communication.

Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, students will:
- acquire awareness of the non-linear dimension of media history;
- be familiar with the main approaches within media archaeology;
- be able to identify hidden material and cultural connections between "new" and "old" media;
- explain the relationship between the circulation of ideas and concepts that have characterised a given historical period with the developments of technologies and media devices.

Ability to Apply Knowledge and Understanding
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- apply a media-archaeological approach to the analysis of media phenomena;
- trace genealogies in contrast to the chronological narratives typical of media history;
- employ a variety of sources for media-archaeological inquiry, including literary texts, audiovisual materials, optical and technological devices, and images from popular culture;
- produce critical interpretations of contemporary media culture.