Culture, the Arts, and Society - Games, Culture, and Social Equity

CLLC-L 210 / CLASS 14521 — Fall 2023

Location
Edmondson Hall C112
Days and Times
M/W/F 10:20 a.m. - 11:10 a.m., 3 credits
Course Description

“The unreality of games gives notice that reality is not yet real. Unconsciously they rehearse the right life” – Theodor Adorno. Games dominate our culture. Videogames outgross movies, and sports keep live television afloat. Games are so culturally dominant, in fact, that theorists like McKenzie Wark argue that games aren’t just our favorite escape from reality—they’ve come to constitute our reality. Taking their cue, we will explore how a culture can be understood through its games and, in turn, how games can transmit the values of a culture. To do so, we will analyze texts across various media: we will, for example, read Anthony Trollope’s novel The Way We Live Now (1875), watch The Hunger Games (2012) and Black Mirror (2019), and play Stardew Valley (2016). This course aims to develop students’ analytical reading and writing skills while appealing to students interested in cultural, literary, and game studies, and philosophy. 

Instructor: Richard Allberry

Collins Seminars: Selected by Board of Educational Programming (BOEP)