History of the Book
Course Description
Summary
The aim of this course is to think about books. Not just books as objects, but books as the signifiers of a wealth of relationships – between reading and writing, between people and ideas, between people and people, between technologies and desires. For centuries, our ideas have been shaped by the rhythms and hierarchies inherent in the nature of print. But the nature of the book itself has changed enormously over time – from the painstaking creation of ancient papyri and scrolls to Gutenberg and the fifteenth-century printing revolution. Moreover, as these technologies have changed, so have their associated phenomena of authorship, authority, and reading itself. And now, as the discourse shifts from page to screen, old definitions and relations are undergoing yet another series of unimagined changes. The roles of author and reader are morphing and blurring. But is this revolution truly new? We look at books, book culture, and libraries from ancient Mesopotamia to the present day, investigating the nature and significance of these objects, their content, and the relationships they embody.
Learning Outcomes
- Students taking this course will engage with the joy of doing good history. Specifically, they will:
1. Learn about one facet of the multifaceted, never-ending, and eternally surprising realities of the past.
2. Learn how to respectfully analyze historical facts and documents through an understanding of those who made them.
3. Learn how to express those respectful analyses in writing.
Prerequisites
At least one course in History and/or another course in SCT, plus permission of instructor. Students must email Carol Pal (cpal@bennington.edu) a week before registration to express interest.
Please contact the faculty member : cpal@bennington.edu