ENGL 103 B03: Case Studies in Research: Reading the News

A. Hasenbank

Section B03 of this course will look at the concept of “the news” as our core research focus this term. We will consider the historical context of the news as a particular genre of writing, as tied to particular formats, and as part of the development of successive media systems. We will look at how different technologies of production and circulation change the way the news is made and read over time, and how our strategies for reading shift with the introduction of new forms of media. We will consider as well a set of key research questions: What is “the news,” and how has this idea changed over time? Who writes the news, and who reads it? How has the news been represented in both literary and popular culture? What factors are involved in expanding the scope of the news, and what factors raise anxieties about it? With these questions in mind, we will develop strategies for research that take into account historical and material contexts, genre and form, audience, medium, and critical response.

This course will be delivered in a fully online format, combining asynchronous learning materials with a live session once a week.