Admission requirements
Only open to Book and Digital Media Studies students and BDMS exchange students. All others should contact the course organiser.
Description
This introductory course deals with the history of the printed book in the West. Central themes are the transition from manuscript to print, censorship, the development of copyright, technical and organisational changes in book production and distribution, reading and book collecting, the emergence of a public sphere, the physical appearance of the book, and the impact of the printed book on society. During the course, students will be given small research assignments.
Course objectives
- To acquire a general knowledge of the history of the printed book in the West from the invention of printing to the present;
- To become familiar with the methods and tools used in book historical research.
Timetable
The timetable will be available by June 1st on the website.
Mode of instruction
- Combination of lectures, seminars, reading list.
Course Load
The course load of this course is 140 hours.
hours spent on attending lectures and seminars: 30
time for studying the compulsory literature: 60
time to prepare for the exam and/or write a paper (including reading / research): 50
Participation in all sessions of this course is compulsory. Upon prior consultation, the lecturer can permit absence at one session for compelling reasons. Students who are absent twice in a half-semester course (7 weeks) will be excluded from further participation and will have to re-take the course. Students who are absent twice in a semester course (13 weeks) will be given an complementary assignment by the lecturer. Absence on three sessions in such a course will lead to exclusion from it.
Assessment method
Written examination (70%) and small assignments (30%).
Blackboard
The course is supported by blackboard.
Reading list
Title of course book:
Eliot, Simon, & Jonathan Rose, A Companion to the History of the Book (Blackwell, 2009).
Registration
Students should register through uSis. If you have any questions, please contact the departmental office, tel. 071 5272144 or mail:
ma-mediastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
n/a
Contact
MA Media Studies departmental office, P.N. van Eyckhof 4, room 102C. Tel. 071 5272144; mail: ma-mediastudies@hum.leidenuniv.nl.
Remarks
“Participation in all sessions of this course is compulsory. Upon prior consultation, the lecturer can permit absence at one session for compelling reasons. Students who are absent twice in a half-semester course (7 weeks) will be excluded from further participation and will have to re-take the course. Students who are absent twice in a semester course (13 weeks) will be given an complementary assignment by the lecturer. Absence on three sessions in such a course will lead to exclusion from it.”