Corsi di Studio del Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature straniere e Culture moderne

The teaching of Media Theory and Visual Culture is part of the three-year cultural education.
The aim of the teaching is to promote learning, knowledge, comprehension, autonomy of judgement and communication skills related to fundamental themes, problems and issues of media theory and visual culture, contextualised in contemporary cultural and social history, with particular reference to the main processes of globalisation.
- Fundamentals of media theory and history of iconic cultural processes introduced by analogue and digital technologies, with particular reference to the phenomena of knowledge production and dissemination;
- Introduction to media theories devoted to the relationship between learning and influence, knowledge and understanding, with particular reference to psychological, sociological and anthropological implications;
- Introduction to the study of the theoretical and epistemological foundations of media aesthetics research.
- Elements of global media studies: introduction to the theory and aesthetics of media and the audiovisual image dedicated to the cultural and intercultural functions performed in relation to the processes of globalisation;
- Methodological elements of critical interpretation of the audiovisual and photographic image and analysis of case studies relating to some of the themes of globalisation.

- Knowledge and understanding of basic themes, problems and concepts of media theory and visual culture;
- Ability to apply knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of media theory and visual culture to the contemporary cultural and social context, especially in relation to the main processes of globalisation;
- Autonomy of judgement in interpreting phenomena and processes of the development of media and visual culture in relation to the dynamics of global culture;
- Autonomy of judgement in the critical interpretation of the audiovisual and photographic image;
- Communication skills in expounding themes, problems and concepts of media theory and visual culture with adequate terminology;
- Ability to independently learn further themes and concepts of media theory and visual culture, with particular reference to the field of global media studies.

Globalisation of images and images of globalisation

Globalisation of Images and Images of Globalisation
The course covers fundamental themes, problems and issues of media theory and visual culture, contextualised in contemporary cultural and social history, with particular reference to the main processes of globalisation.
The development of the media makes the system of images, especially audiovisual ones, more and more a context of life and a form of thought, thus a means of relationship between human beings and between them and the world.
This system, because of the pervasiveness it has achieved, the multiple functions it performs and its intrinsic complexity, has become an integral part of human ways of experiencing, knowing, communicating and interacting.
The course, although mainly focused on global media studies, adopts an inter- and trans-disciplinary perspective and includes an application part dedicated to the critical interpretation of some case studies related to some of the issues of globalisation.

Lectures with the use of multimedia tools and, if possible, interventions by experts.

Frontal teaching with multimedia projections.

Oral examination in Italian.
There are no exemptions, nor oral or written in itinere tests.
Minimum level requirements: sufficient achievement of the expected learning outcomes (see the relevant section of this sheet) and use of appropriate terminology.
Excellent level requirements: exhaustive knowledge of the various topics in the examination programme and the ability to establish relationships between them, consciously organising them into a coherent structure of knowledge and expounding them with propriety of language.

1. Ouellette, J. Gray, Keywords for Media Studies, New York University Press, New York, 2017 ISBN 978-1479859610. The study of the following chapters is required: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 11, 13, 15, 19, 20, 23, 27, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 41, 42, 43, 47, 49, 51, 54, 58, 60, 61, 63, 64, 65.
2. Mirzoeff, An Introduction to the Visual Culture, Routledge, London 2009, ISBN: 978-0367235345. Integral study of the book.
3. E. Morin, The Cinema, or, The Imaginary Man, University of Minnesota Press 2005;

For Step 3, any alternative exam mode for attending students will be illustrated during

lessons.

The following filmography must be viewed in order to complete the exam:

• Babel, Alejandro González Iñárritu 2006
• Io capitano, Matteo Garrone 2023
• Green border, Agnieszka Holland 2023

These movies can be watched at the apposite workstations in the Bibliomediateca di Arte, Musica e Spettacolo (Palazzo Nuovo, third floor, via Sant'Ottavio 20 - Turin) and in the other 8 libraries of the "Polo di Scienze Umanistiche" of University of Turin.