Cultures of The Book

The impact of various technologies (from writing to various forms of manuscript to print to electronics) on the way the written word gives shape to a culture. The emphasis is on western cultures from Plato to the present, but participation by students with interest or expertise in non-western cultures will be of great value to the group as a whole. The course offers an ideal perspective from which students can consider meta-issues surrounding their own special interests in a wide variety of fields, as well as learn to think about the way in which traditional fields of study are linked by common inherited cultural practices and constructions. See the English Department's website at www.english.upenn.edu for a description of the current offerings.