MA S. Genres, Formate, Stile: Materielles Bezeugen: Neue Perspektiven der Medienwissenschaft

Instructors: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christian Tedjasukmana
Shortname: S GenreFormatStil
Course No.: 05.054.19_570
Course Type: Seminar

Contents

Witnessing in the context of climate change, war, and human rights violations constitutes a specific knowledge practice aimed at public education, historical reappraisal of the past, or taking ethical responsibility. Currently, the existing understanding of testimony is being challenged by phenomena such as automatically generated and selected online images, as well as by colonial artifacts or destroyed landscapes—or, more generally, by the question of the media of testimony. As a result, testimony is undergoing a fundamental transformation, as is the way societies perceive problems and how knowledge and visual evidence are produced.
The MA research seminar addresses this topic through the work of researcher and artist Susan Schuppli, who has worked closely with the agency “Forensic Architecture.” It will focus in detail on Schuppli’s book “Material Witness” (MIT, 2020). In cooperation with the Research Training Group “Technologies of Witnessing: Media and Cultural Practices” (RTG 3064) at JGU Mainz, Schuppli will be our guest at the seminar. In addition, the seminar places her work in the context of various case reconstructions and film screenings, as well as further readings in the fields of testimony studies, media forensics, and new materialism. Prerequisites for participation include a willingness to engage in intensive reading of theoretical texts and active participation in all block sessions, including during the lecture-free period: The introduction and assignment of tasks will take place on October 21, 26, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. c.t.; Block I on November 6–7, 26, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. s.t. each day; Block II on February 17, 27, 12:00–14:00 and 16:00–20:00 s.t., and February 18, 27, 10:00–15:30 s.t. Assignments include submitting reading cards and giving a text presentation. The seminar may be concluded with the writing of a term paper.

Dates

Date (Day of the week) Time Location
10/21/2026 (Wednesday) 10:15 - 11:45 00 181 P5
1141 - Philosophisches Seminargebäude
11/06/2026 (Friday) 10:00 - 15:00 00 113 Seminarraum
9181 - Medienhaus
11/07/2026 (Saturday) 10:00 - 15:00 00 113 Seminarraum
9181 - Medienhaus
02/17/2027 (Wednesday) 12:00 - 14:00 00 211 Hörsaal
9181 - Medienhaus
02/17/2027 (Wednesday) 16:00 - 20:00 00 211 Hörsaal
9181 - Medienhaus
02/18/2027 (Thursday) 10:30 - 15:00 00 211 Hörsaal
9181 - Medienhaus
02/18/2027 (Thursday) 12:00 - 16:00 00 131 (K6) Übungsraum
9139 - Am Kisselberg