As scholars’ engagement with media-archaeological study have increased, so have students’ interest in the field’s approaches, methods, and philosophies. Many courses on media history and theory today include sessions focused on media archaeology. A handful of universities even offer semester-long courses devoted entirely to the subject, while some departments have established centers devoted to media-archaeological study: from the Media Archaeology Lab at CU Boulder and the Media Archaeological Fundus at Humboldt University to the Retrocomputing Lab at UW-Milwaukee and the R-CADE at Rutgers-Camden, these labs offer students hands-on interactions with historical and obsolete media technologies to increase students’ awareness and understanding of the technical, material, and embodied histories of media practice. Whether offered as part of degree programs, summer schools, or standalone workshops, media-archaeological pedagogies are preparing a new generation of media scholars to pay attention to neglected and overlooked aspects of media history.

But what does teaching media archaeology look like? How is media archaeology taught as a subject, and how are media-archaeological methods applied in the classroom? A recent issue of Early Popular Visual Culture (18:1) began to address these questions. The third issue of Artifact & Apparatus aims to expand on these inquiries. We invite contributors to explore the pasts, presents, and futures of media-archaeological pedagogies. How do you teach media archaeology as a scholarly method, as an artistic practice, and as a subfield with its own history? What kinds of assignments can be created to encourage and practice media-archaeological inquiry? And how and where does media archaeology fit into the larger media studies or production curriculum?

Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:
• Teaching media archaeology as a subject and/or method.
• The history and development of media archaeology.
• Implementing media-archaeological methods in assignments.
• Opening up and reverse-engineering media technologies.
• The classroom as laboratory.
• (Re)creating media technologies in the classroom.
• Archives and/as media-archaeological collections.
• Embodiment, affect, and interaction.
• Obsolete media as pedagogical tools.
• The recommodification of obsolete media.
• Appropriation, reuse, and misuse of media technologies.
• Media archaeology as creative practice.

We invite academic articles in the 4,000-6,000-word range, as well as experimental essays, annotated syllabi, case studies, personal reflections, and discussions, along with other forms. To propose an alternate format, please reach out to the editor: journal@artifactapparatus.com.

Submissions

Contributors may submit a full 4,000-6,000-word article to journal@artifactapparatus.com by May 15, 2024. We are happy to work with contributors to develop their articles, and welcome you to get in touch with us to discuss ideas and receive feedback at any point before the deadline.

Submissions should be 4,000-6,000 words, formatted in 12pt Times New Roman, paginated, double-spaced. Citations should adhere to the Chicago Manual of Style. (Please see articles in prior issues for reference.) Please include a 100-word abstract and short bio. Submit your paper as a Microsoft Word or other preferred word-processor document. Any figures or illustrations should be submitted separately as high-resolution JPEG or TIFF files.

Submission does not guarantee publication. Papers will go through a double-blind peer-review process. Papers may not be simultaneously submitted for publication elsewhere. The editorial board reserves the right to reject any submission that does not follow these guidelines. If you have any questions, please contact the editor at the above email address.

Keywords

media archaeology; media materiality; media archives; media art; digital media; material and visual culture.

Contact

journal@artifactapparatus.com