School of Communication
History of Communication 63-002-18
Lecturer: Dr. Robert Hershorn
Course Type: Required, B.A.
Credit hours: annual credit (one semester, 2 hours) - 2013-2014
Office Phone: 03-7384317
Office Location: Building 109, room 3
Email: robhershorn@gmail.com
Course web site: TBA.
Office Hours: 13:45-14:45.
Course description:
This is an introductory survey of the history of media and communication. Beginning from the most
recent archaeological evidence and evolutionary interpretations of the relationships between the
emergence of human intelligence, along with the development of tools, artifacts, and then
language, the course takes students through the evolving relationship between media and
technology, human communication, forms of social organization, and the history of consciousness
and ideas. Among history of communication themes, the course introduces students to how orality
and literacy affect social communication and organization, the impact of printing with moveable
type on social history, and the effects of the arrival of electronic, and then digital media, on actual
and potential forms of social and interpersonal relationships. Overall, emphasis will be placed on
how these phenomena alter social structures and human behavior.
Course Requirements and Grading
1. Term Paper (7 Page Research Essay): 35% + 5% (Outline of Essay Plan in One-Two
Paragraphs) Total: 40%
The research paper is to be 10-12 pages (double spaced) in length and will be written on a topic
related to the course and of the student’s own choosing. Suggested topics for the paper will be
provided. Paper topics must be approved by, and discussed with the instructor. Students will
produce a 1-page outline of their proposed paper (worth 5% of the final grade). The 1-page outline
will provide a 4-5 sentence thesis statement, along with a list of 4 (minimum) research sources (not
drawn from our course reading list).
2.Final Exam: 50%
3.Attendance and Participation: 10%
Course plan and reading list:
A – Theoretical framework for understanding media development (2 weeks):
Silverstone, R. (1999). Why study the media. London: Sage (Ch. 1 – The texture of experience, pp.
1-12).
302.23 SIL w (553744)
Lehman-Wilzig, S. & Cohen-Avigdor, N. (2004). The natural life cycle of new media evolution:
Inter-Media struggle for survival in the internet age. New media & society, 6 (6), pp. 707730.
Ejournal (433735)
1
Shifman, L. & Blondheim, M. (2008). From the spider to the web: Innis' ecological approach to the
evolution of communication technologies. In: M. Blondheim & R. Watson (Eds.), The
Toronto school of communication theory: Interpretations, extensions, applications. Toronto:
University of Toronto Press (pp. 339-356).
N/A
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where old and new media collide. New York: New York
University press (Ch. 1 - Introduction: 'Worship at the alter convergence': A new paradigm
of understanding media change, pp. 1-24).
302.230973 JEN ca (5544513)
B – Oral communication and the evolution of writing (1 week)
Stephens, M. (2007). A history of news (3rd Edition). New York: Oxford University press (Ch. 2 News in preliterate societies - In the ordinary way, pp. 16-31).
reserved under STE (5544514)
Lacy, D. (1996). From grunts to gigabytes: Communications and society. Chicago: University of
Illinois (Ch. 1 - Words, pp. 1-8).
302.209 LAC f (5544511)
Havelock, E. (2007[1982]) The Greek legacy. In: D. Crowley & P. Hayer (Eds.), Communication in
history: Technology, culture, society, 5th Edition. New York: Allyn & Bacon (pp. 55-60).
302.209 COM 2007 (5544535)
C – The invention of printing (1 week)
Briggs, A. & Burke, P. (2005). A social history of the media: From Gutenberg to the internet.
Cambridge: Polity press (Ch. 2 - The Print Revolution in Context, pp. 13-60).
302.2309 BRI s2 (5551155)
offprint (5551145)
Eisenstein, E. (2007). The rise of the reading public. In: D. Crowley & P. Hayer (Eds.).
Communication in history: Technology, culture, society, 5th Edition. New York: Allyn &
Bacon (pp. 97-105).
302.209 COM 2007 (5544535)
D – Newspapers (2 weeks).
Stephens, M. (2007). A history of news (3rd Edition). New York: Oxford University press (Ch. 9 The first newspapers - Expecting the news, pp. 16-31).
reserved under STE (5544514)
Smith, A. (1979). The Newspaper: An International History. London: Thames and Hudson (Ch. 1 Origins and definition, pp. 7-15; Ch. 2 - The occurrences all together 1600-1696, pp. 1745).
070.09 SMI n (5531514)
E – Telecommunications (1 week)
Telegraph
Starr, P. (2004). The Creation of the media: Political origins of modern communications. New York:
Basic books (Ch. 5 - The first wire, pp. 153-190).
reserved under STA c (5545355)
Carey, J. (2007[1983]). Time, space and the telegraph. In: D. Crowley & P. Hayer (Eds.).
Communication in history: Technology, culture, society, 5th Edition New York: Allyn &
Bacon (pp. 150-156).
302.209 COM 2007 (5544535)
offprint (415513)
2
Telephone
Fischer, C. S. (2007[1992]). The telephone takes command. In: D. Crowley & P. Hayer (Eds.),
Communication in history: Technology, culture, society, 5th Edition. New York: Allyn &
Bacon (pp. 143-149).
302.209 COM 2007 (5544535)
offprint (415511)
Ling, R. (2004). The mobile connection: The cell phone's impact on society, 3rd Edition. San
Francisco: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers (Ch. 1 - Introduction, pp. 6-16).
electronic resource (5534135)
Goggin, G. (2006). Cell phone culture: Mobile technology in everyday life. New York: Routledge.
(Ch. 2 - Making voice portable: The early history of the cell phone, pp. 19-40).
303.4833 GOG c (5544535)
F- Press agencies (1 week).
Fenby, J. (1986). The international news services: A twentieth century fund report. New York:
Schocken (Ch. 3 pp. 36-54).
N/A
G – Radio (1 week).
Berry, R. (2006). Will the iPod kill the radio star? Profiling podcasting as radio. convergence: The
international journal of research into new media technologies, 12 (2), pp. 143-162.
journal + ejournal (333355)
Lax, S., Ala-Fossi, M., Jauert, P. & Shaw, H. (2008). DAB: The future of radio? The development of
digital radio in four European countries. Media, culture & society, 30 (2), pp. 151–166.
ejournal (534353)
H- Television (1 week).
Stephens, M. (2003). Television transforms the news. In: In: D. Crowley & P. Hayer (Eds.),
Communication in history: Technology, culture, society,. New York: Allyn & Bacon (pp. 272278).
302.209 COM 2007 (5544535)
Woods, M. & Woods, M. B. (2005). The history of communication. Minneapolis: Twenty-First
century books (Ch. 4 - Television, pp. 30-37).
621.38209 WOO ha (5534134)
I – The information age (2 weeks)
Moschovitis, C .J. P., Poole, H., Schuyler, T. & Senft, T. M. (1999). History of the internet: A
chronology, 1843 to the present. Santa Barbara: ABC Clio (Ch. 5. The wild frontier: 19851990, pp. 121-150).
004.67809 HIS 1999 (5544514)
Optional:
Drezner, D. & Farrell, H. (2004). Web of influence. Foreign policy, 145 (November-December), pp.
32-40.
journal + ejournal (551437)
3