Writing, Society & Power: How Pre-Modern Scripts Shaped Societies and Political Action

1 Course Unit

The written word, expressed in a range of different visual media and materials, envelops us today in ways as ubiquitous as it is largely unexamined as a cultural artifact. This course examines the power of writing through societies other than our own, examining a range of ancient scripts from two linked perspectives. It looks at them first as semiotic systems with specific origins and structures, and then moves to the purposes to which they were put. The overriding focus here is not writing as prosaic tool, but how it was used to create and sustain social and political power. Preferred prerequisite: previous class in social studies and humanities Not Offered Every Year 1 Course Unit