Course Materials
Required Texts
This course will use The Sound Studies Reader (Routledge, 2012), edited by Jonathan Sterne. The print version is available in the University Book Store, or you can use the Kindle edition. We will be supplementing this text with a variety of materials on the course website, which will be updated frequently—please make it part of your routine to check it daily. Important note: if you do your reading on a device, be sure to bring that device with you on days that we are discussing the material. You must have the readings in front of you in class. That being said, there is also an appropriate time to use technology while in a seminar. I may ask you to close your machine, so be sure to have a notebook and pencil with you as well.
Further Reading
For students interested in reading beyond what we have time to cover in class, I'll update this page with a running bibliography of things that might come up in class, as well as the larger, book-length projects by the authors we'll encounter in The Sound Studies Reader.
Optional Equipment
We have two required audio assignments that will use technology available through Penn State MediaTech, specifically the Zoom H1 Audio Recorder. MediaTech and the library's Media Commons have substantial audio technology resources which we will be working with throughout the semester. Students wishing to incorporate audio into additional projects, including the final one, might find it convenient to have their own recorder. The H1 is usually available for around $80 on Amazon. This is completely optional, and will not affect your grade in any way.