- Instructor
- James Paradis & Marisa Moran Jahn
- TA
- Ana Arenas
- Units
- 2-3-7
- Credit
- U
- Schedule
- M10-12 (VIRTUAL), W9-12
- Location
- E15-335, E15-207
Transmedia Art, Extraction and Environmental Justice (Fall 2021)
4.376J/CMS.374J
Transmedia Art, Extraction, and Environmental Justice (TAEEJ) is a hybrid theory and artistic, hands-on exploration of today’s extractive economies and the role that artists, media-makers, and transmedia producers may play in shaping public perception, individual choices, and movement-building towards what Arturo Escobar refers to as “Sustainment.” In its combination of weekly readings/discussions and studios, the course explores the cultural dimensions of extraction and the ways that joy, humor, and innovative media-making inspires our engagement with politically-charged issues.
TAEEJ’s underlying epistemological assumption is that inspiring the public towards change requires multiple entry points, including the histories, modes, and media. Students will make audio pieces, moving images (video, GIFs, etc.), and transmedia works that trace the geological, material, and toxic histories of copper, coal, sand, and uranium — materials used throughout our built environment — as well as civic resistance and reform that could significantly alter extraction practices.
Cross-listed with Comparative Media Studies/Writing, CMS.374. The Monday lecture session of this course will be remote, and the Wednesday lab will be in person.