Screen Cultures & Media Convergence in Contemporary Japan

This course will offer a survey of contemporary media culture in Japan and an introduction to leading media theory and criticism. Centered primarily on televisual and internet media, we will also consider related media forms that feature screens or interface displays, such as mobile phones, game media, etc. However, rather than imagining these things as part of an abstract notion of a national popular culture, we will investigate the type of media environment and industrial practices from which they emerge and contribute to. Each week will cover a different theme – and often introduce a new media object – but the course will be organized around drawing connections between these instances and how audiences interpret and interact with these media as part of a more general environment.