CAMS 106: First Year Seminar: Ghostly Mediums: Specters and Hauntings in Media History and Technology

Specters haunt the nether-regions of media technology. Each new medium has offered potential avenues to hear the voices of the departed or contact otherworldly beings. In this course we will explore these possibilities through close attention to the ways in which media attempts to move beyond the earthly plane. These are extraordinary claims whose veracity is always under question but also tell us much about our own desires. We'll consider photography, phonography, magnetic tape, television, radio, and the internet, among other mediums. Students will also have the chance to test some of these claims through hands-on exercises and their own attempts to push the boundaries of media communication. No formal background in media history or production is required.