Film and Media Studies 120: Introduction to Digital Media

In an era where the majority of media are produced, distributed, and accessed digitally, how can we understand the influence of digitization on our media landscape? Are digital media “new?” Has digitization fundamentally changed approaches to making or consuming media? How has the Internet affected the cultural role of media? This course introduces historical and theoretical approaches to understanding digital media and digitization. Topics include the history of digital technologies, the impact of digitization on media production in various industries, digital distribution and exhibition of media, and how the rise of the Internet and other digital technologies play a role in our current media landscape. This class will combine lectures, discussion, presentations, and writing assignments. Open to first-years, sophomores, and Film and Media Studies majors; others by consent of instructor.