ANTH 2120 6.0 Visualizing Ourselves, Visualizing Others:

Media, Representation & Culture

Time: Mon. 12:30-2:30 TEL 0006

We live in a media saturated society. In our everyday lives, we are bombarded by media images whether it be through newspapers, television, film, radio, the internet, and/or billboards. However, we seldom pause to think about the relationship between media, ourselves and others: Media are a form of communication, but what is being communicated? How do media affect understandings of ourselves and others? Is the increasing presence of media creating a global, homogenized culture or preserving cultural diversity?
An anthropological perspective on media requires us to always situate media productions in particular social, political, and cultural contexts. It also requires us to think of media as global and local phenomena: this means we will need to investigate the effects of global media in other societies, but we will also need to examine 'locally' produced media. Throughout this course we will be concerned with issues of power and how media figure in maintaining, resisting or transforming social inequality.

NOTE: 2 hrs lecture, 1 hr tutorial