40-1101 The History of Television

Cultural history course examines not only the chronological development of television as a technology and an industry, but also explores also how television has become a part of our histories and, indeed, how TV has shaped history and our sense of it. Television is a primary source for the transmission of information, politics, entertainment, and our collective and dispersed cultures in the United States, surpassing even film and newspaper because of its combined accessibility and visual appeals. Since its arrival on the scene at the World’s Fair of 1939, TV has been the site through which we engage with any number of issues and events–from the most intimate to the most broadly social.

3 Credits