The Book in America: From Benjamin Franklin to Amazon 4219-SC0023
The course will look at the book not just as an object but as a force driving social and cultural processes, evolving from a simple educational and religious tool to a powerful market and cultural mechanism. We will analyze the development of publishing, changes in printing technology, and their impact on book formats (from bound volumes to e-books). The course aims to trace the evolution of reading culture and the book market in America, requiring students to actively seek out and analyze historical and contemporary examples to illustrate the phenomena discussed.
Working methods:
- group meetings (a detailed schedule is presented to students before the first meeting by the instructors of each group).
- individual consultations with the lecturer.
- presentation of research results
Works:
- Mid-term paper
- Written work at the end of the semester
Type of course
Mode
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge
*Student has a knowledge of the history and theory of American book culture and publishing.
*Student is able to define main concepts related to book production, distribution, and consumption (e.g., mass press, bestsellers, digital publishing) and can apply them in discourse.
*Student identifies turning points in the development of the American book market (e.g., the printing revolution, the emergence of Amazon) and explains their significance.
Skills
*Student can analyze texts and phenomena related to book culture using different methods (historical, sociological, content analysis).
*Student identifies different book formats and publishing models and refers them to particular periods in their development.
*Student develops skills to gather, select, and structure information to defend one's position.
*Student critically approaches texts from the discipline.
Social Competences
*Student participates in group work and can arrange it skillfully.
*Student shares knowledge with others through participation in discussion.
*Student develops one's consumer education concerning cultural products and media.
*Student is ready for critical reception of new technologies and business models in the book market.
Assessment criteria
30% Attendance and participation
30% Mid-term paper
40% Final paper
Bibliography
Hugh Amory, The Colonial Book in the Atlantic World
Robert A. Gross et al., An Extensive Republic: Print, Culture, and Society in the New Nation, 1790-1840
Scott E. Casper, The Industrial Book, 1840-1880
Karl F. Caestle et al., Print in Motion: The Expansion of Publishing and Reading in the United States, 1880-1940
David Paul Nord et al., The Enduring Book: Print Culture in Postwar America
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: