Introduction: The Media Question and the University

This book is concerned with establishing the media conditions of possibility for a digital university by fleshing out what are media configurations specific to university study in the first place. This chapter explains why the media question concerning the university has been previously side-stepped in favour of instrumental and cultural approaches, thus neglecting the educational approach. I argue that the media question needs to be asked again, but this time from an educational perspective which should take as its starting point the study practices. After briefly explaining the distinctiveness of study practices, I introduce the Flusserian method of a phenomenology of gestures. I will use this method throughout the book to look for gestures with media technologies and materialities at the university which will then be used to give an insight into how thinking emerges in study practices.