CMS 573 A: Aesthetics

Mass media such as print, cinema, television, and digital screen media rely on the large-scale reproduction of images: pictures generated by the thousands or millions, through mechanical and electronic means. The mass image has been a foundational concept for the study of media, yet media studies tends to take the copy for granted. The intention of this course is to make strange the concept of the copy . We will draw on texts from media studies, philosophy, art history, semiotics, and other fields.  How did the idea of the copy structure modern (post-Renaissance) aesthetics? How did mass production structure our understanding of mass media? Is there a theory of the copy embedded in the technologies that generate them? Readings by Benjamin, Marx, Eco, Baudrillard, and others. Topics covered include the Renaissance printed image, the emergence of photography, mass production, pop, appropriation art, mimicry, forgery, and resemblance. For MA and PhD students only. Non-CMS students must contact instructor for permission to register. Weekly responses and one full-length seminar paper required.