From the astrologers in ancient Babylon to Tarot card printers in early modern Europe and contemporary AI, fortune-telling has been practiced for millennia across various cultures. This course examines the global history of fortune-telling and its legacy of responsive adaptiveness to diverse changes in media technology. Topics include early observations of the heavens, the implications of the print revolution and definitions of readership, the rise of broadcast media, the invention of the internet, and contemporary technologies.
From the astrologers in ancient Babylon to Tarot card printers in early modern Europe and contemporary AI, fortune-telling has been practiced for millennia across various cultures. This course examines the global history of fortune-telling and its legacy of responsive adaptiveness to diverse changes in media technology. Topics include early observations of the heavens, the implications of the print revolution and definitions of readership, the rise of broadcast media, the invention of the internet, and contemporary technologies.