Course Description
Summary
What is a soundscape, and how does it matter to our daily lives, our environments, and the media we consume? The term soundscape refers to the range of sounds in a certain place and time, from a hospital’s array of beeping medical machines to the familiar noises of the places you call home. In this course, students will explore the concepts and creation of soundscapes in visual culture and media. We will cover histories and theories from scholars of environmental studies, and sensory studies, among other fields. We will analyze how sonic qualities are socially produced such as the ‘sonic color line’, and the cultural politics of music in Interwar Paris, and develop foundational visual analysis skills in visual and print media for further coursework in media studies. The course will include screenings of fiction and non-fiction media that we will analyze and discuss together. Students will have the option to produce a creative project such as a video essay or an analytical soundwalk (guide listeners through a certain place you’ve recorded), or students can produce a critical essay on the relationship between media, ecology and race.
