Screen Media

Ever since television became part of the average domestic media environment screen-based media have been central to our experience and understanding of the world around us. Today screen-based media technologies like computers, mobile phones and tablets are as important to our work life as to our leisure activities, functioning in equal measure as means of sharing and communicating personal as well as public information. The recent development of web and mobile media has changed the way people communicate and cooperate, not least in the way we use and deal with images and other visual information. This course examines the aesthetics of screen media, and their social as well as cultural significance, introducing critical reflection on more recent forms of screen media which combine image technologies with networking, archival functions and navigation tools. Attention is drawn to the audiovisual aesthetics of media as well as to their functions as means of communication. Modern screen media are situated in an historical context, drawing a line from the development of central perspective in the Renaissance, via the introduction of television and computers, to the contemporary media landscape. Themes pertinent to the theoretical discussions raised in this course include the archive as organising principle, concepts like media convergence, participatory culture, and ubiquitous computing.

Knowledge
Upon completion of this course students will have:
- in-depth knowledge of a variety of theories relating to electronic and digital media
- extensive knowledge of the social and informative uses of visual screen technologies and media
- thorough knowledge of theories on the archive as a system of knowledge and organising principle
- broad knowledge of the various cultural functions of screen media, both in the pre-digital past and in the net-based present

Skills
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- formulate informed questions on the uses and experiences of screen-based media
- apply theories for critical reflection on the relationship between screen technologies and visual culture
- identify similarities and differences between analog and digital visual media
- reflect on the social and cultural significance of screen technologies

The course is taught in a mix of lectures and seminars. The seminar is compulsory, requiring 80 % attendance.

Compulsory assignments include practical exercises and a seminar presentation.

Students are required to check the result of their assignments and to stay updated on any information given by the department or course director via Blackboard.

This course may be taught in Norwegian or English, pending staff availability.