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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "CMS/SOSC 327"
COURSE NAME: "Urban Media"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Eleonora Diamanti
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 6:00 PM 7:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Recommended: COM 220
OFFICE HOURS:
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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course maps and explores the critical scholarship as well as practice-based research methods in the field of “urban humanities,” including urban media studies and urban cultural studies. The course examines how media and the city relate to each other. Specifically, how cities are central locations for media, how cities are represented in different media forms, and finally how cities can be critically understood as sentient, smart, digital and post-digital environments. The course aims at answering interdisciplinary research questions, such as: How can a city be considered a medium? How does the city structure communication and cultural expressions? How is media infrastructure entangled with urban life? These questions will be applied to the study of specific sites in Rome, while students will be offered a broad overview of different case studies from a variety of contexts. The course provides critical knowledge of applied interdisciplinary ethnographic methods for analyzing urban media environments.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course aims at investigating interdisciplinary modes of inquiry informed by and contributing to a media-related understanding of the urban environment. It starts by defining key terms, such as “urban media,” providing foundational readings in the field of urban media studies and urban cultural studies. It then explores the relationship between technology and the city. The first weeks provide foundational readings on: semiotic, narrative, Marxist, ethnographic, feminist, and intersectional approaches to the city, in order to give students analytical techniques and methods of inquiry to analyze urban sites. The second part of the course focuses on different media/technologies, performance and artist/activist interventions, to finally turn to the so-called “smart” and “post-digital” city from a critical standpoint. During the second part of the course, students will conduct a multisensory/multimedia/interdisciplinary practice-based study of specific urban sites. The course will provide students with tools in urban ethnography from an audiovisual/multimedia and sensory perspective (including direct/participant observation, interviews, mind mappings, sound and video recordings, sketching, etc). Students will analyze specific urban sites in Rome in relation to a theme established at the beginning of the course and will create: sound-maps, video-essays, photo-essays, interactive maps, and other multi-media sensory ethnographic outcomes.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students will develop the following proficiencies and skills during the course:
1. Distinguish the major areas of inquiry for urban media studies and urban cultural studies and their methods.
2. Acquire advanced research skills through academic readings in a burgeoning and innovative academic field.
3. Develop multimedia/interdisciplinary practice-based research methods in ethnography, including direct/participant observation, interviews, mind mappings, sound and video recordings, sketching, and the likes.
4. Conduct fieldwork, media analysis and interpretation of urban sites.
5. Understand key issues of everyday life and culture in cities and its relationship to technology.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Deep Mapping the Media City | Mattern, S. C. | University of Minnesota Press | 0816698511 | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Attendance and participation | Participation means coming to class prepared and actively contribute to class discussion. Attendance policy: students are allowed 4 unexcused absences. | 10% |
| Midterm | In-class written exam | 25% |
| Final project | Individual research project including original research based on the course material and oral presentation | 30% |
| In-class presentations | Students are required to present a reading. A calendar will be decided at the beginning of class with a list of readings, and posted on Moodle. | 15% |
| Weekly reflections | Written responses to weekly assigned readings | 20% |
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Students have up to four unexcused absences (those not justified by a medical certificate or a note from the administration). Please note that more than four unexcused absences will automatically result in failing the course.
If you have a serious health problem which causes you to miss more classes than allowed here, please contact the Dean's Office.
Lateness: If unexcused, students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and 3 late arrivals are counted as one absence.
Class procedure: Use of cell phones and laptops affects your participation grade and is strictly forbidden during class.
Please make sure that your cell phone is turned off (and not just muted) when class starts. Kindly note
that any infringement of such policy shall automatically result in a F grade in participation.
Grade scale [Please include this. This scale follows standard university policy]
A = 94- 100% B = 84-86% C- = 70-73%
A- = 90-93% B- = 80-83% D+ = 67-69%
B+ = 87-89% C+ = 77-79% D = 60-66%
C = 74-76% F = 0-59%
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ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic
dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred.
In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment,
may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student
who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from
the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation
to the President, who will make the final decision.
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STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap.
Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning
of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
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SCHEDULE
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SCHEDULE
This schedule is subject to change, please check the class Moodle site for updates and current schedule.
PART I
Week 1. Introduction. What is Urban Media?
Week 2. The City is a Medium
Week 3. The City and the Sign: Who writes and who reads the city?
Week 4. The Right to the City
Week 5. Mapping the City: Ethnographic Methods and Beyond
Week 6. The Feminist City
Week 7. Intersectionality, Accessibility, and Bias in the Media City
MIDTERM
Week 8. Midterm
PART II
Week 9: Urban Screens
Week 10: The Cinematic City
Week 11: Listening to the City/Sounding Cities
Week 12. Urban scenes: music, urban space, performance, bodies, and technologies
Week 13. The smart city & urban data
Week 14. Conclusion
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