HNRS3074: The Culture of Books and Reading
Description
This course provides a cross-cultural study of books and reading in world societies and how ethnic, religious, and national cultures regard the printed word now and in the past, along with some projections on the future of the book. Looking at the form of the book from cuneiform and papyrus to mass marketed books and digital texts, students take a hands-on examination of rare volumes to learn about cultural approaches over time to sacred, political, and secular writings, and to provide them the technical and cultural contexts for contemporary reading habits, particularly through social media.
As part of this ethnological approach, students undertake select assignments to examine the values, purposes, and material expressions attached to books and libraries as well as stories and social media, and, how a given culture or nation may relate to the culture of the world at large in these ways.
The objectives of this course are to help students learn about the human diversity of books and reading, and to help them express this learning in thoughtful and analytical fashion.