Face-to-face , second term, 30 hours of theory.

Second term
Thursday from 13:30 to 15:30 at Préfecture P60

French

1) Acquiring a general knowledge of the history of analog and digital media (press, broadcasting, cinema, computer, Internet, mobile phones)

2) Acquiring a better understanding of the social, cultural, political, economic and technological influences that contributed to shape the emergence and evolution of the media.

3) Developing one's critical thinking on the transformations of the media landscape (including digital transformations) and their social, cultural and political dimensions.

For the Bachelor in History :

For the Bachelor in Information and Communication :

For the Bachelor in Political Sciences: General :

For the Bachelor in Sociology and Anthropology :

None

The course provides a socio-historical overview of the emergence and transformations of analog and digital media (press, broadcasting, cinema, computer, Internet and mobile phones). The social, cultural, political, economic and technological aspects of the history of media (and of their users) are also addressed. Media are considered in a multi-dimensional context that shapes their evolution (e.g. the political context, technological innovations) but that is also constituted by the media and the ways individuals and groups use them (cf. for instance the role of media in social and political protests or revolutions).

The course combines three teaching methods :

1) The students are required to read in depth the book A History of Digital Media (Routledge, 2018). In a first step the reading of the book is individual. In a second step the students are grouped together (small groups) in order to help each other in responding to a series of questions about the chapters (the reading guide is provieded beforehand). The students can use the Internet in order to find relevant ressources (the course takes place in a computer room). Moodle is also used in order to share resources among all the students. Part of the final exam is devoted to the questions from the reading guide.

2) For each chapter of the book, the students will have to respond collaboratively (small groups) to the following question : « What does the book tell us about our digital media environment and practices ? » The point here is to use the ideas addressed in the book in order to adopt a reflexive and critical stance toward the contemporary media landscape, considering both continuities and changes in media environments and practices.

3) Finally, the students are required to read a syllabus providing a socio-historical overview of analog media (press, cinema and broadcasting before their digitalization). During the course the students will be offered to ask questions. Part of the final exam will be dedicated to this syllabus.

The workload for the students is defined as follows : in-depth reading of the book = 2 ECTS, in-depth reading of the syllabus = 1 ECTS, in-class participation = 1 ECTS, preparation of the final exam = 1 ECTS.

There are no ex cathedra lessons in this course. Instead it is expected from the students that they read the course material and use the in-class sessions in order to solve problems, ask questions and elaborate a shared knowledge together with the other students. Active participation is thus required for a successful course.

The assessment method in June is twofold :
1) A written exam with the first part (30% of the final grade) being about the social-history of analog media (cf. syllabus) and the second part (50% of the final grade) about the social-history of digital media (cf. the book), more exactly the questions in the reading guide. For this second part, the student may have the book at their disposal.
2) The presentations of the insights learned from the book about our digital media environment and practices. The exact evaluation criteria will be detailed in due time. The grade is collective and counts for 20% of the final grade.

The assessment in September is organised as follows :
- if the exam is failed and the presentations are successful, the grade for the presentations is recorded and the student has to proceed again with the exam (both parts) ;
- if the exam and the presentations are failed, both have to be done again, but the presentations are replaced by an individual written assignment ;
- if the exam is successful and the presentations are failed, the student has to proceed again with the presentations in the form of an individual written assignment. She may proceed again with the exam (but the new grade replaces the previous one, whatever the result is).

In addition to the syllabus, the following book is required :

Balbi, G., et Magaudda, P., A History of Digital Media. An Intermedia and Global Perspective, Londres et New York, Routledge, 2018.

Recommended readings :

Barbier, F., et Bertho-Lavenir,C., Histoire des médias de Diderot à Internet, Paris, Armand Colin, 1996.
Campé, R., Dumont, M., et Jespers, J.-J., Radioscopie de la presse belge, Verviers, Marabout, 1975.
Casetti, F., et Odin, R., « De la paléo- à la néo-télévision », in Communications, n°51, 1990, pp.9-26.
De Bens, E., « La presse au temps de l'occupation de la Belgique (1940-1944) », in Revue d'Histoire de la Deuxième Guerre Mondiale, n°80, 1970, pp.1-28.
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.
Flichy, P., L'imaginaire d'Internet, Paris, La Découverte, 2001.
Jeanneney, J.-N., Une histoire des médias des origines à nos jours, Paris, Seuil, 1996.
Noiriel, G., Introduction à la socio-histoire, Paris, La Découverte, 2006.
Thoveron, G., Histoire des médias, Paris, Seuil, 1997.
Van den Dungen, P., Milieux de presse et journalistes en Belgique (1828-1914), Bruxelles, Académie royale de Belgique, 2005.