German 194. Public Urban Media

Day/Time

Th 12:00 pm - 2:45 pm

Instructor

Struck

The public is where we see and meet others or avoid them—on squares, in the subway, in cafés… But how are these places constructed that we necessarily inhabit? What do they allow for, and what do they prevent? What about the public in social media? How do politics relate to or happen within them? In this course, we will be exploring the public sphere and how we have come to narrate and theorize it—particularly in relation to social spheres. While reading crucial texts on the matter (by Hannah Arendt, Walter Benjamin, Alfred Döblin, Jürgen Habermas…), we will experience Boston by creating audio and written portraits of the places around us, and reflect on narratives and theories through our practice as well as contemporary readings and artworks (by Zach Blas, Harun Farocki, Arthur Jafa, Hito Steyerl, Eyal Weizman…). While the course centers on German culture, the seminar will be taught in English; all texts will be available in their original language and (if not already) in English.