Cognitive Science 0348 - Media in Cars

"By the end of the decade, we will have transformed all of our new cars into smarphones on wheels," claimed the VW CEO recently. This was probably not foreseen by the Duryea brothers of Springfield when they began building the first American cars in 1896. But media in cars do have a long and complex history: it's not too much to say that the increasing presence and sophistication of media since the 1920s, and especially after the war, fundamentally shaped the very experience of automobility. And today's cars may prefigure how new media are steadily becoming embedded parts of the built environment generally. In this course, we will explore the cultural history of the car, catalog the various media in cars, construct (virtual) models of our discoveries and create an online archive of all this material. Advanced students are welcome from several disciplines, including media and cultural studies, architecture and design, history and theatre. This is a Five College Blended Learning course, using digital technology for collaborative work outside regular classroom meetings. For further information, see http://hamp.it/mediaincars

Independent Work Writing and Research In this course, students are expected to spend at least six to eight hours a week of preparation and work outside of class time. This time includes reading, writing, research.