In the upcoming semester, honors students will have the opportunity to explore theorist Walter Benjamin’s concerns about the role of art in the face of technological advancements through the Retro Reading course led by Curtis Maughan, director of the World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio. The course will focus on analyzing Benjamin’s influential essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Technological Reproducibility” (1936), which questioned how film has changed the nature of art as it became a dominant form of entertainment in the 1930s.
Benjamin, a German Jewish theorist and intellectual, believed that film had fundamentally altered the way people experienced art, making it more accessible and less exclusive. His essay has been revisited throughout history whenever art boundaries needed reconsideration in response to technological progress. Today, with AI emerging as a new frontier for creativity and innovation, his thoughts on technology and its impact on art are more relevant than ever.
The course aims to attract individuals interested in how generative AI will transform our media landscape. Students will delve into the historical context of the 1930s, similar to our current moment, where the growth of film impacted various aspects of daily life. While no application is required for this course, interested students should secure their spots early by registering. For further details about the course or to contact Curtis Maughan, director of the World Languages and Digital Humanities Studio at cmaughan@uark.edu.
