by: Ilya Vedrashko
There are bunch of lectures and reading lists for courses in comparative media studies uploaded onto MIT’s OpenCourseWare, including such gems as Sam Ford’s American Soap Operas and Pro Wrestling.
While you are at it, take a look at the letter circulated by the department’s alums on the importance of media education:
"Our rapidly changing times also call for the remembrance of technological and media history, lest we remain caught up in our societal fascination with newness. CMS reminds us that early radio in the 1920s and comics in the 1950s triggered moral panics over our “impressionable” youth — fears which we look back on as reactionary and simple-minded, even as the same turns of phrase are employed over certain video games and social networking sites today."
Original Post: http://adverlab.blogspot.com/2008/12/mit-cms-class-notes-online-at-mit-ocw.html
