„You Should See Me in a Crown“ — fame in the age of self-spectacle
Gabriel S Moses
Institute of Fine Arts and Media Art,
Media Theory
2026W,
Academic Seminar
(SEW),
4.0 ECTS,
2.0 semester hours,
course number S40736
Description
Imagine you used the Richter scale to measure celebrity fame. Say you did it by charting the difference between 1960s Beatlemania and today’s fans, causing actual earthquakes at Taylor Swift concerts. Your seismograph wouldn’t be able to pick up anything but a slight increase in intensity. However, a cultural analysis would potentially reveal nothing short of a tectonic shift. The following course begins with this very assumption: that we can no longer measure fame today like we did in the past. It is less the definition of ‘being famous’ that has changed as much as what it means to us. With the instantaneousness of internet virality, the economic pivoting towards influencer marketing, and online services that democratize talent exposure, fame has been diversified, atomized, and made unrecognizable as a concept to former generations. Can it still be just a by-product of good artistic or intellectual work, or has fame long since become a goal in its own right for all? Where do you draw the line today between being admired as spectacular and just making a spectacle of yourself? In the fields of cultural production, this dramatic shift forces program directors to rethink the type of platforms they provide and to whom—audience and presenters alike. Or maybe another way to phrase the underlying question of this seminar is:
If all the world is a stage, what makes yours stand out?
Examination Modalities
Towards the end of the course, students will present and/or hand in a final creative response—of any sort, and in a way that best fits their interests and skills, from a video piece to the curation and presentation of an aspired event program to an imaginary app—that uses, refuses or abuses contemporary notions of celebrity and fame.
Comments
The course is structured as a ‘long conversation,’ spread out over 6 4-hr blocks, and a practice-based wrap-up assignment. Our discussion will draw on the widest selection of online sources—from YouTube essays to essays about YouTubers. During this active dialogue, students are also expected to produce and present their findings and reflections in the form of short presentations, prepared either individually or in pairs.
Dates
Thu, 29 October 2026, 14:00–18:00, "Block day 1 of 6"
Fri, 30 October 2026, 12:00–16:00, "Block day 2 of 6"
Thu, 05 November 2026, 14:00–18:00, "Block day 3 of 6"
Fri, 06 November 2026, 12:00–16:00, "Block day 4 of 6"
Thu, 21 January 2027, 14:00–18:00, "Block day 5 of 6"
Fri, 22 January 2027, 12:00–16:00, "Block day 6 of 6"
Course Enrolment
From 31 August 2026, 09:00
Via online registration
Curriculum Allocation
Art Education: study subject kkp (Bachelor): Academic Practice: GO: Seminar, SEw 034/2026UBA-003.10
Art Education: study subject kkp (Bachelor): Academic Practice: FOR: Seminar, SEw 034/2026UBA-003.30
Art Education: subject kkp (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: GO: Seminar, SEw 034/2026UEW-003.10
Art Education: subject kkp (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: FOR: Seminar, SEw 034/2026UEW-003.30
Art Education: study subject dex (Bachelor): Academic Practice: GO: Seminar, SEw 037/2026UBA-003.10
Art Education: study subject dex (Bachelor): Academic Practice: FOR: Seminar, SEw 037/2026UBA-003.30
Art Education: subject dex (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: GO: Seminar, SEw 037/2026UEW-003.10
Art Education: subject dex (Enhancements study): Academic Practice: FOR: Seminar, SEw 037/2026UEW-003.30
Art Education: subject kkp (Bachelor): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 067/2016UBA-003.80
Art Education: subject kkp (Master): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: Lehrveranstaltung nach Wahl aus wissenschaftlicher Praxis, SE 067/2016UMA-003.80
Art Education: subject kkp (Enhancements study): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 067/2018UEW-003.80
Art Education: subject tex (Master): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: Lehrveranstaltung nach Wahl aus wissenschaftlicher Praxis, SE 071/2016UMA-003.80
Art Education: subject dae (Master): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: Lehrveranstaltung nach Wahl aus wissenschaftlicher Praxis, SE 072/2016UMA-003.80
Art Education: subject dex (Bachelor): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 074/2017UBA-003.80
Art Education: subject dex (Master): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: Lehrveranstaltung nach Wahl aus wissenschaftlicher Praxis, SE 074/2017UMA-003.80
Art Education: subject dex (Enhancements study): Wissenschaftliche Praxis: FOR: Lehrveranstaltungen nach Wahl aus Wissenschaftliche Praxis 074/2018UEW-003.80
TransArts - Transdisciplinary Arts (Bachelor): Theoretical foundations: Theoretical foundations 180/2025UBA-003.01
Expanded Museum Studies (Master): Electives: Media Theory 537/2021UMA-080.20
Media Arts: Specialisation in Transmedia Arts (2. Section): Wissenschaft, Theorie und Geschichte : Medientheorie, Mediengeschichte 566/2019U00-208.02
Media Arts: Specialisation in Digital Arts (2. Section): Wissenschaft, Theorie, Geschichte: Medientheorie, Mediengeschichte 567/2019U00-208.02
Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften (Master): Electives Area 1: Media Theory 568/2021UMA-005.06
Kunst- und Kulturwissenschaften (Master): Electives Area 2: Media Theory 568/2021UMA-006.11
Design: Specialisation in Design and Narrative Media (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Fundamentals: Media Theory and Semiotics 576/2024U00-203.05
Design: Specialisation in Communication Design (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Basics: Media Theory and Semiotics 577/2025U00-203.07
Fine Arts (2. Section): Scientific and Research Practice: Media Theory,Art&Knowledge Transfer,Th. of Architecture,Th. and Hist. of Design 605/2019U00-202.02
Fine Arts (2. Section): Scientific and Research Practice: Free Electives out of Scientific and Research Practice 605/2019U00-202.80
Design: Specialisation in Applied Photography and Time-based Media (2. Section): Methodological and Theoretical Basics: Humanities 626/2021U00-203.02
Art & Science (Master): Methods and Practices of Transdisciplinary Research: Practice and Theory 776/2026UMA-002.16
Co-registration: possible
Attending individual courses: possible