Clubs and the circulation of information
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The text below is a 'read-only' list of questions; it is meant to give visitors an idea of possible exercises. Registered students would have a 'Submission' button available to them in order to move to the exercise page and write or attach their contribution, which is not available to visitors.
1) Comparisons have been made between the coffee-houses of past centuries and the Internet.
Study two websites on the topic:
·Georgian Cities, http://www.18thc-cities.paris-sorbonne.fr (Topics/Culture and the arts/Clubs and societies)
·'Information Age' at the Science Museum (https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/) : see https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/visitmuseum/plan_your_visit/exhibitions/information_age
(also accessible from the homepage of the museum).
Questions:
1 )How do the two websites contextualise the circulation of information, in relation to the technical and social backgrounds of the two periods?
2) How are the navigational interfaces of the two websites structured so as to throw into relief the circulation of information ?
2 )" THE INTERNET IN A CUP"...
"The
internet in a cup":
Coffee fuelled the information exchanges of the 17th and 18th centuries,
The Economist, December 20th, 2003.
First visit the website Georgian Cities and read the text:
http://www.18thc-cities.paris-sorbonne.fr/spip.php?article330&lang=en
Also visit :
http://www.18thc-cities.paris-sorbonne.fr/spip.php?article218&lang=en
and play with the clocks to discover the painting of the coffee house !
Then study the text and find out the relevant documentation relative to its notions, concepts and allusions: each assignment consists in writing about 300 words answering the following questions . You may present your plan differently as long as you provide an answer to the following questions :
Questions
What was the 'internet of the Enlightenment era' according to the text?
What was a coffee house in the eighteenth century?
What is a weblog? What is a blog?
Why were coffee-houses in the eighteenth century nicknamed “penny universities”?
Comment: “Information, both in the 17th century and today wants to be free and coffee drinking customers, it seems, expect it to be.”
Compare activities in coffee-houses and Wifi hotspots: could you add elements of comparison? Do you agree with the parallel?
7.Try to find out websites dedicated to coffee-houses in the eighteenth century. Briefly evaluate their importance and historical reliability.
8. What were the different types of coffee-houses in London?
9. What was the role of coffee-houses in London and/or Paris in the eighteenth century?
10. Have you seen the illustration chosen by The Economist on the title page of the article ? Would you be able to find it on the internet? How do you look for images on the web? Start with visiting :
https://www.bl.uk/restoration-18th-century-literature/articles/newspapers-gossip-and-coffee-house-culture