The History Of The Book

AY2020/2021 Semester 2

In The History of the Book you will explore the impact of the book as an object and a technology, from medieval manuscripts to e-readers. You will examine examples of books from different periods, both to understand how book production changed over time and to explore broader questions about the nature of texts, their reception, and their associated communities and contexts. By learning how books were made and used, you will gain a clearer appreciation of how culture was shaped by the development of books, and how it shaped the development of books in turn. The archival and research skills you learn during this course will serve you in future research projects. This course explores the influence of the book as a force in history and literature from the medieval period to the present. It will include hands-on examination of books and manuscript fragments as well as discussion of books as objects, social forces, and vehicles for text.