Description of the Academic Program |Modern Culture and
Media Departmental Home Page
The Modern Culture and Media "Department exists in order to provide a place
for the study of the mass media--especially film, photography, print journalism,
and television--in relation to modern society itself and to such other cultural
products as modern literature, art, and philosophy. In this Department,
faculty and students attempt to unite aspects of modern culture that are
normally separated by university departmental structures (such as fine art,
literature, and philosophy). The center also proposes the study of cultural
forms (film, video, journalism) that are seldom treated with adequate seriousness
in the liberal arts curriculum."
"Some definitions: What we mean by culture is the entire body of meaningful
objects, institutions, and texts in which a given society's values are expressed.
In our view, culture is what mediates between individuals and their society.
This mediation takes the form of books, paintings, buildings, films, social
institutions, and other cultural products. The mass media differ from the
media of "high" culture mainly in their reliance on mechanical means of
reproduction and in their wide distribution. We study the products and processes
of both "high" and "mass" culture with equal seriousness, and with critical
intent. What we mean by modern is the period of roughly the last century
and a half, dating from the invention of photography in the middle of the
nineteenth century. Our interest is centered on modern European (or Western)
culture, but we also study the impact of this culture on the former European
colonies and other countries of the Third World."
"
In addition to uniting the study of art, literature, and philosophy with
the study of the mass media, we are committed to uniting actual work in the
production or creation of media texts with our analytical and theoretical
consideration of the arts and media. Specifically, we offer courses in journalistic
writing (in cooperation with the English Department) and, through our own
facilities, courses in film-making and video production. In these courses
we are interested in the aesthetic and documentary potential of the media."
Overview of the Collection
Modern Culture and Media draws on many areas within the Library's collections.
Key are the print collections in film, television, radio, and journalism,
the collections pertaining to the telecommunications industry, the modern
American historical, cultural, and sociological collections, and the modern
area studies collections, particularly with regard to cross-cultural encounters
and post colonialism. These are areas of interest to many departments and
programs within the University and are areas that are receiving particular
attention by the Library's collection development staff..
With regard to electronic resources, the Library has licensed
a number of
databases relevant
to the study of media and culture. These currently include FIAF (International
FilmArchive Database), Alternative Press Index and Archive, Cross-Cultural Database, and many others. There are also over
fifty electronic journals on the subject of film,
radio, and television, over a dozen relating to the telecommunications
industry, and many others in related
areas.
General Collecting Guidelines Collecting is focused on material relating to the analysis of
modern culture, theories of representation and cultural production, semiotics,
and the study of the various modes of the mass media, including film, photography,
journalism, and television. In addition, resources are acquired on the
connections between the study of modern society, the individual, and other
major disciplines, i.e., modern literature, art, and philosophy. One specific
aspect of this focus is a serious concern for popular culture,
as well as for "high" culture.
There is interest in
production: journalistic writing and film and video making." The Department
maintains strong interdepartmental ties (and concentrations in) French,
Italian, and the Visual Arts. They likewise sponsor graduate work in English,
American Civilization, Comparative Literature, German, French, and Art
History. Consequently, it draws on and benefits from the Library acquisitions
in these and other areas
Specific Collecting Guidelines
Language: The primary language is English; some works in other
languages are collected, in collaboration with departments and programs
with which courses are offered jointly
Chronological Span: The focus is on the post-1850 period,
although some historical material may be acquired.
Imprint Date: Primarily, current materials are acquired, although
back runs of journals may be acquired from time to time.
Geographical Range: Collecting focus is primarily on Western
culture, although works that illuminate the impact of Western culture
on other societies will be acquired
Types of Material Included: Books, journal, films, electronic
objects. Excluded: Introductory textbooks, classroom anthologies.
Areas of Distinction
Owing to a gift from Timothy Forbes '76, the Library has been able to
add archival subscriptions to a number of key film
journals. These include Sight and Sound, Media, Culture & Society, Cineaste,
Screen, and many others.
Special Collections
Within Special Collections, the Harris
Collection of American Poetry and Plays (particularly in its
film, television, and radio scripts and contemporary avant-garde literary
periodicals) is of most interest to Modern Culture and Media. The Hall-Hoag
Collection of
Dissenting and Extremist Political Propaganda is a vast repository
of persuasive texts issued outside the mainstream of American publishing
since the Second World War.
The Broadsides
Collection includes tens of thousands of items of twentieth
century ephemera, mostly literary.
In addition, in the Manuscripts
Department, there are collections of unpublished
film and television scripts, playbills and theatrical memorabilia, archives
of contemporary small literary presses, twentieth century genre publications,
including true crime and science fiction, notably the papers of Providence
writer H. P. Lovecraft.
Approached from the perspective of modern culture, the collections of comics,
including the Michael
J. Ciaraldi Collection and the Wayne Poulin Collection,
are noteworthy, as are the several collections of gay and lesbian literature,
which include a large collection of gay pulp erotica and magazines. The Miller
Collection of Wit and Humor includes many examples of graphic
humor, pulp periodicals, and works by and about media personalities.
See Collections A to Z for more detailed information about the holdings of Special Collections in the John Hay Library.
Related Collections and Other Resources
One of the largest collections related to popular culture is at Bowling
Green State University: "Major subject strengths of the
Browne Popular Culture Library include the following: popular fiction in
the romance, mystery-detective, science fiction-fantasy and western genres;
the performing arts and the entertainment industry; graphic arts, film
and mass communications; popular religion, the occult and the supernatural;
sports, recreation and leisure; hobbies, games and amusements; foodways
and cookery; etiquette and advice; comedy and humor."
The growing digital collections
in American Memory at
the Library of Congress offer many perspectives on modern culture, including
such areas as baseball cards, sheet music, and jazz age photographs.
Note: Image includes titles from the Miller Collection of Wit and Humor.
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