104111 - HISTORY OF AUDIOVISUALS AND VIDEO GAMES

Subject type: Basic

Coordinator: Jorge Oter Gonzalez

Trimester: First term

Credits: 6

• Catalan

Classes will be held in Catalan. L'alumnat pot comunicar-se tant en català com en castellà durant les classes, de la mateixa manera que pot fer els treballs en qualsevol de les dues llengües. Linguistic correction is requested in all cases.

At present we are permanently surrounded by audiovisual messages of various kinds. In the “age of screens”, we receive these impulses through multiple channels and in the different facets of our lives, from professional to personal life. It is important, therefore, to reflect on the nature of these messages that affect our daily lives, as well as on the way they are organized and related, and on their origin and evolution.

This course will cover the historical, aesthetic and technological development of photography, cinema, radio, television and, more recently, the Internet and video games. We will look at their appearance and trajectory, the expressive characteristics of each of them and, as a consequence, what they have in common.

To achieve this, many examples of specific cases will help us, as well as other explanatory materials. It is important not only to know this route, but also to develop a critical thinking around works that will influence students when developing their own products throughout the degree. There will also be academic-style work to deepen the subject through active learning (which will serve to familiarize students with a way of working that will be requested during the degree) and will provide readings that provoke reflection.

The classroom (physical or virtual) is a safe space, free of sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic and discriminatory attitudes, either towards students or towards teachers. We trust that together we can create a safe space where we can make mistakes and learn without having to suffer prejudice from others. 

1. THE RADIO

Invention and beginnings of broadcasting.

Technical, programmatic and social evolution of the radio medium.

Radio in Spain and Catalonia throughout the s. XX.

2. TELEVISION

Origins of television.

Technological, programmatic and social evolution of television.

Modernity of the television medium.

Television in Spain and Catalonia. Birth and evolution.

3. PHOTOGRAPHY

Birth and beginnings of photography.

Expansion of photography in the nineteenth century. Pioneers and pioneers.

Photojournalism and photodocumentary.

Evolution during the XNUMXth and XNUMXst centuries. Some authors.

4. THE CINEMA

Pre-cinema and origins of cinema. Pioneers and pioneers.

Consolidation of storytelling and cinematic avant-garde.

Cinematic classicism. Genres and authors.

National cinematographies.

New cinemas and some personalities from the second half of the XNUMXth century.

5. INTERNET AND VIDEO GAMES

Origins and history of the Internet. Technological and social evolution of the network.

Video games: birth and history.

First-time students must follow the continuous assessment and do all the activities described below (if an activity is not done or not delivered on time, the student will have a zero in it), and will apply the corresponding evaluation percentages:

Group activities:

• Activity 1- Presentation on a relevant historical figure of the audiovisual: worth 15% of the grade (10% will come from the teaching staff and 5% from the co-assessment of the students). It is not recoverable.
• Activity 2 - Analysis work of one or more audiovisual works (joint work with the Language and audiovisual expression subject): 20% the written work (15% will come from the teaching staff and 5% from the co-evaluation of the students) and 5% the oral presentation.

Individual activities:

• Activity 3 - Room sheet: it is worth 5% of the grade. It is not recoverable.
• Activity 4 - Reading quiz: 5% of the grade (1% of each quiz taken, as there will be five in total). These quizzes are non-refundable and cannot be rescheduled.
• Activity 5 - Partial exam: it is worth 15% of the grade.
• Activity 6 - Final exam: worth 35% of the grade.

The theoretical part (partial exam and final exam), corresponding to 50% of the grade, must have a weighted average equal to or higher than 5 in order to pass the subject. Otherwise, and regardless of the grade of the other activities, the student will fail the subject. The theory part can be recovered during the recovery period as long as the student has taken the exam in the regular session.

Rules for carrying out the activities:

The activities will have to answer to the criteria indicated in class and / or to the statements of the same. Presentation and linguistic correction will be valued.

Papers submitted in previous courses, in whole or in part, may not be submitted.

The carrying out of the activities presupposes the commitment of the students to participate actively in the individual and group works.

Identification of plagiarism is considered a serious circumstance that may lead to a failing grade in the subject. In case of detection of plagiarism, the coordination of the degree will be informed so that the corresponding disciplinary measures can be taken.

Baget Herms, Josep Maria (1994). History of television in Catalonia. Generalitat de Catalunya, Communication Research Center.

Castells, Manuel (2001). The Internet Galaxy. Plaza&Janés.

Sontag, Susan (2009). About photography. pocket

Freund, Gisele (1983). The first photographers A: Photography as a social document. Gustavo Gili.

VV. AA. (1995). General history of cinema. Chair.

Newhall, Beaumont (2008). History of photography. Gustavo Gili.

Sougez, Marie-Loup (1994). History of photography. chair

Donovan, Tristan (2018). Replay: The history of video games. Heroes of Paper

Pariser, Eli (2017). Content for relevance. A: The bubble filter. How the network decides what we read and what we think. Penguin Random House, p. 31-54.

Bonet, Montse (2005). Spanish radio 1994-2004. A decade of consolidation and disenchantment. Public Sphera, (5), 59-70.

Brinson, Susan (2005), From Marconi to Cop Rock. An introduction to Broadcasting history. A: Winn, Emmet & Brinson, Susan (eds), Transmitting the Past. Historial and Cultural Perspectives on Broadcasting. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, p. 1-15. 

Bustamante, Enrique (2013). History of Radio and Television in Spain. A pending subject of democracy. Editorial Gedisa.

Rueda, José Carlos; Galán, Elena & Rubio, Ángel L. (2014). History of the media. Editorial Alliance.

Franquet, Rosa (2001). History of radio in Catalonia in the twentieth century: from galena radio to digital radio. Generalitat de Catalunya, Department of the Presidency, General Directorate of Broadcasting and Television.

Arboledas, Luis & Bonet, Montse (2014). The Radio in Spain: European Appearance, Franco's Legacy. Javnost-The Public, 21 (4): 67-82.

Camporesi, Valeria (2014). animated photos A new way of thinking about the world is born. A: Thinking about the history of cinema. chair

Moragas, Miquel de (2022). Communication and its changes. From the origins to the mobile. Global Village

Sousa, Jorge Pedro (2011). Critical history of Western photojournalism. Manganeses de la Lampreana, Zamora Comunicación Social.

Rosenberg, Alejandra (2016). About the Women Film Pioneers Project. Cinema Comparat / ive Cinema, vol. IV, num 8, p. 17-23.

Navalbos, Lourdes (1998). The effects of world war on the audience. Triggers of "radio panic". Semiosphere, 8, p. 119-137.

Vázquez Montalbán, Manuel (1997). History and social communication. Critic.

Postman, Neil (1993). The era of "show business". A: Let's have fun until we die. Index books, p. 107-125.

Altés, Elvira (2021). Women on the air The history of radio in Catalonia in the voice of women. Peasant Editors

Domínguez, Vicente (coord.) (2007). Predator screens Cinema before digital visual culture. Editions of the University of Oviedo.