HHIS-213: Hist & Theory of Entertainment

This class will survey the history and theory of entertainment with a special focus on film, television, fanfiction, cartoons, comics, games, the web, vr, ar, mxr as domains of representation and participation. Entertainment is understood as a cultural product with the primary goal to deliver a pleasurable experience to its audience analyzed within the broader artistic, social, political, economic, and technological contexts of many diverse cultures and eras. The first part of the course discusses entertainment from the perspective of media specificity, combining history and theory, from the perspective of technological innovation related to the pleasure of the audience. The course aims to draw larger arcs (lineages) connecting seemingly disparate phenomena in order to discuss and contextualize concepts such as storytelling, immersion, media convergence among others. The second part of the course discusses entertainment as embedded in complex socio-cultural, political and economic structures. The course examines the historical and cultural contexts of race, gender, and class and their influence upon and expression within the realm of entertainment. The class is meant to nurture a discursive and collaborative environment. Along with lecture modules, it largely builds upon the contributions of the students in the form of writing blog entries, short texts and produce media-rich reviews that mobilize course concepts.