Course Title：媒介理论与历史：穿越时间、技术与文化的旅程

This dynamic course invites students on an intellectual expedition to unravel media’s transformative role in shaping societies, cultures, and individual identities. Blending theoretical inquiry with historical analysis, the program challenges participants to critically examine how media technologies—from the printing press to artificial intelligence—have redefined communication, power dynamics, and collective imagination. Over eight classes, the course adopts a dialogic, non-linear approach, fostering connections between past and present, theory and practice, fostering a nuanced understanding of our ever-evolving media ecosystems. **Structure and Themes** The programme begins by interrogating media’s dual identity as both a *mirror* reflecting societal values and a *maker* crafting new realities. Class 1 explores this duality through case studies like the Reformation-era printing press and TikTok’s impact on modern identity, prompting students to reflect on their own media consumption. Subsequent classes build on this foundation, weaving together critical debates and hands-on engagement. Class 2 confronts the tension between *technological determinism* and *social constructivism*, questioning whether tools like social media algorithms drive change or are shaped by human agency. This leads into Class 3’s examination of *representation* in media, where Hollywood’s historical biases and AI’s algorithmic discrimination reveal how media constructs—and often distorts—identities. Collaborative analysis of advertising narratives challenges students to dissect the power dynamics inherent in representation. Globalization’s paradoxes take center stage on Class 4, contrasting the cultural hegemony of platforms like Netflix with the rise of Bollywood and K-pop. Discussions on “digital colonialism” probe the exploitation of Global South data, sparking debates about cultural homogenization versus hybridity. Class 5 shifts to surveillance, tracing its evolution from Bentham’s panopticon to Amazon’s worker monitoring, culminating in a workshop where students design ethical social media platforms prioritizing privacy. The later days grapple with modernity’s crises: Class 6 unpacks the loneliness epidemic in hyper-connected societies, using case studies like the #DeleteFacebook movement to explore “disconnection anxiety.” Class 7 delves into AI’s ethical quandaries, from deepfakes to algorithmic bias, with interactive demos of tools like DALL-E highlighting the blurred lines between human and machine creativity. The course culminates on Day 8 by framing media history as a compass for contemporary challenges, drawing parallels between past moral panics (e.g., novels “corrupting youth”) and current AI ethics debates. **Pedagogy and Outcomes** Emphasizing dialogue over lectures, the course thrives on collaborative workshops, case studies, and speculative exercises. Students dissect memes as cultural commentary, debate techno-utopianism, and reimagine equitable media systems. This participatory approach cultivates a *media literacy toolkit*, empowering learners to decode power structures in media landscapes and interrogate their own digital practices. By linking historical patterns—such as the telegraph’s “death of distance” rhetoric to today’s Metaverse hype—the course equips students to critically assess cycles of techno-optimism and backlash. Final reflections focus on applying historical insights to modern issues like misinformation, urging students to envision media’s role in fostering equitable futures. **Conclusion** More than a survey of theories, this course is a call to action. It challenges participants to move beyond passive consumption, fostering agency in navigating and reshaping media ecosystems. Through rigorous debate, creative experimentation, and historical contextualization, students emerge as critical thinkers ready to engage with the ethical complexities of our mediated world—and to imagine alternatives grounded in justice and creativity.