124265 KO Critical Media Analysis (2021W)

Big City Life will explore selected aspects of contemporary media and/in the city. The focus of the course is on moments of conflict and resistance concerning the use and ownership of (public) urban space. The guiding questions for this term are 1) how is the ‘correct’ use of urban spaces negotiated in the media, particularly online and social media, and 2) who can claim space in urban settings to represent or draw attention to something, whether it is a product on a billboard, a sculpture in park or a political statement on a wall? Whose needs and identities are visible, whose are made invisible or not considered in the first place? Depending on the students’ interests, the course might, for example, deal with hostile architecture, feminist urban and public art, wildlife photography in the city, and alternative mobilities.

This course is for students who ...
... take an interest in urban imaginaries, gendered/racialized/classed spaces, reappropriating and (re-)claiming urban spaces, and street/urban art.
... would like to know more about discussions and controversies surrounding the use of urban sites and the way they are presented online.
... enjoy thinking about the impact the built environment has on our everyday life.

The main methods are in-class discussions (primarily based on readings, written assignments and research tasks) in which important concepts are clarified and applied to cultural texts. At the end of the term, students will hand in a portfolio containing the texts they produced throughout the semester, a course reflection, a (collaborative) creative task and a mini case study on a cultural artefact/space of their choice.
After completing this course, students will be able to discuss the city-countryside/public-private dichotomy and apply their knowledge of important spatial/cultural theories and methods to critically analyze representations in and of urban spaces.