2025 (Current Year) Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences34:Studies of Culture and Representation
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kyohhei Kitamura
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 3-4 Wed
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S430
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2025
- Offered quarter
- 1Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 19, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Media in the modern era had once existed as various distinct mediums, but due to the mixing of contemporary digital media society, we are said to live in a “post-medium” age. However, such media conditions are peculiar to the present era, and in the past each medium played its own role in visual culture. This class explores the relationship between the images represented by media technology and people in the visual media culture after the 20th century.
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of specific historical contexts of various media that surround us, and acquire an attitude of thinking from historical perspectives about contemporary visual media culture.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the history of media and explain it to others.
2) Historically grasp the relationship between the technology of media and human beings.
3) Comprehend the contemporary visual culture from a meta-point of view.
Keywords
Medium, Visual culture, Film, Television, Star, Idol, Animation
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
Lectures and discussions are combined in each class.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Overview of this course and introduction | Understand modern media culture |
| Class 2 | Film as a technology | Historically understand film as a medium |
| Class 3 | Television as a technology | Historically understand television as a medium |
| Class 4 | Auduo-visual media culture of movie star | Explore the relationship between movie stars and audiences |
| Class 5 | Auduo-visual media culture of idol | Explore the relationship between idols and audiences |
| Class 6 | Auduo-visual media culture of animation | Understand the mechanism of animation and its culture |
| Class 7 | Celebrity in contemporary media culture | Understand the emergence of the Internet celebrity culture |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
None required.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Hase, Masato ed. Sociology of Visual-Imagery Media. Tokyo: Yuhikaku. ISBN: 978-4641174245. (Japanese)
Ookubo, Ryo. New Perspectives for Media Studies. Tokyo: Yuhikaku. ISBN: 978-4641200005. (Japanese)
Kitamura, Kyohhei. Cultural Sociology of Female Stars: Desiring the Madonna and Vamp in Postwar Japan. Tokyo: Sakuhinsya. ISBN: 978-4861826511 (Japanese)
Nishi, Kenji. Idol Culture through the Prism of Media Theory. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press. ISBN: 978-4130530248 (Japanese)
Doi, Nobuaki. The Book Understanding Animations of the 21st Century. Tokyo: Filmartsha. ISBN: 978-4845916443(Japanese)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Student's course scores are based on participation (40%) and final report (60%).
No credit will be given for more than three absences.
Related courses
- LAH.H113 ： Studies of Culture and Representation A
- LAH.H215 ： Studies of Culture and Representation B
- LAH.H314 ： Studies of Culture and Representation C
Prerequisites
No prerequisites.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
kitamura.k.af[at]m.titech.ac.jp
Other
No classes will be given on April 9(Wed).
Seven total classes will be held for this course: April 16 (Wed), April 23 (Wed), April 30 (Wed), May 7 (Wed), May 14 (Wed), May 21(Wed), May 28(Wed).