COURSE DESCRIPTION

This class is an experimental one-time offering, introducing students to the primary medium of literary study– the book– through a collaborative teaching partnership between a scholar of literature and media studies (Jessica Pressman) and Head of Special Collections & University Archives at SDSU (Anna Culbertson). This is a merger of theory and practice, pairing readings in book history with hands-on engagement in Special Collections, “labs” that support experiential learning with the subject of book history and the actual objects contained in SDSU’s archives.  We will learn about the history of books and learn to see them differently– as medium, object, artform, and archive– all while considering how and why books continue to matter as material objects in our digital age.

Learning Outcomes:In this class, you will

·  Learn to recognize the book as a technology that has evolved over centuries

·  Practice media-specific analysis as a means of literary analysis

·  Identify and articulate how media formats and contexts (including orality, print, and digital) shape the production and reception of literature.

·  Understand how media studies and history is part of Literature’s history and study

Reflect on how changes in media contexts impact the literary

·  Hone your skills as a critical thinker, listener, and writer by focusing on the development of a thesis statement and the ability to prove it through textual explication

Administrative Information

Class Meetings: TTH; 12:30-1:45 pm  GMCS 325 and in Special Collections	Course Website: https://fall2025-ecl596.jessicapressman.com/
Professor’s Office: AL 261 Office hours: Thursdays 11-12 AND Additional times and dates by appointment; email me for an additional appointment (in-person or on Zoom) out of the regular office hours timeslot.  Zoom meeting room: 943 624 7815 https://SDSU.zoom.us/my/jpressman	Email: [email protected] *Do not expect a response within 24 hours
English Subject Librarian: Markel Tumlin Special Collections Librarian: Anna Culbertson	[email protected] [email protected]

NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change… and probably will change!