Historia: Det moderna mediesamhällets framväxt, 1850-1940

Course content

Communications through text, sound and image are discussed in their mutual relation to economic, cultural, political and social change. Basic concepts and perspectives of Media History are introduced. The course adopts a broad definition of media and the idea that individual forms of media must be understood in relation to each other.

The course traces the emergence of the modern media landscape, from the mid-19th century until the 1940s. The thematic focus is the entangled development of national and transnational media such as telegraphic communication systems. For instance, we take a closer look at the changes of the late 19th century press industry, the transformation of the contributors to the press from literary men to journalists, the role of advertising and consumption in mass society, the development of audio media (radio, telephone and phonograph) between private and public listening, early film, and media and propaganda in the World War era.

Course design

The teaching consists of lectures, seminars and exercises, carried out both in the classroom and at our digital platform Canvas. You will practise your skills in writing in papers and in digital forums. Together with your fellow students you will explore historical source material and secondary literature and improve your ability to make oral presentations.

Further information

The course is given in our humanities and theology centre, LUX. This offers an exciting campus environment with a vibrant student life. Lund University has one of Sweden’s oldest and largest research libraries, and the library at LUX is one of 26 libraries within this network.

The course is a free-standing course for beginners. It is given as a full-time course once a year, during the autumn semester (daytime). The course can be part of the first level course in Media History. It can be included in a first or second-cycle degree.