KURSPLAN
Media in the Digital Age – Participation, Power and (In)Equality, 7,5 högskolepoäng
Media in the Digital Age – Participation, Power and (In)Equality, 7.5 credits
Kursplan för studenter höst 2020
Kurskod: LMDR20
Fastställd av: Utbildningschef 2020-06-26
Gäller fr.o.m.: Hösten 2020
Version: 1
Utbildningsnivå: Avancerad nivå
Utbildningsområde: Samhällsvetenskapliga området
Ämnesgrupp: MK1
Fördjupning: A1N
Huvudområde: Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap

Lärandemål

On completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Kunskap och förståelse

- describe the focus of critical theories about media communication in general and social media in specific (1)
- give examples of the difference between critical theory and other theoretical perspectives for explaining concepts and phenomena related to media in the digital age (2)

Färdighet och förmåga

- demonstrate skills in theoretical and conceptual comparisons (3)
- demonstrate the ability to formulate a research problem relevant to the theme of the course and present a theoretically grounded analysis of this (4)
- use critical theories to discuss participation, power and (in)equality in relation to media in the digital age (5)

Värderingsförmåga och förhållningssätt

- problematise questions related to participation, power and (in)equality in the digital age (6)
- critically assess different aspects connected to media in the digital age in terms of potentials and limits for a socially sustainable society (7)

Innehåll

This course is aimed at a critical examination of the potentials and limits for a socially sustainable society arising in the digital age. As technologies and political economies are evolving rapidly the processes of media production are redefined across various contexts. Departing from Critical Theory the course covers:

• The role of media communication, as means of ideology, exploitation and potential means of liberation and struggle
• New media and technology in relation to societal structures and power
• Participation, power and inequality; how media and communication is and can be related to sustainability in our digital age

Undervisningsformer

Learning activities consist of independent readings, lectures, seminars and of an individual written assignment based on an independently formulated question in relation to the course theme.

An e-learning platform is used.

Students who have been admitted to and registered for a course have the right to receive instruction/supervision for the duration of the time period specified for the particular course to which they were accepted. After that, the right to receive instruction/supervision expires.

Undervisningen bedrivs på engelska.

Förkunskapskrav

The applicant must hold the minimum of a bachelor's degree (i.e. the equivalent of 180 ECTS credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in media and communication studies or social studies including independent, theoretical based work, i.e. a thesis or the equivalent. English 6/English B in the Swedish upper secondary school system or international equivalent.

Examination och betyg

Kursen bedöms med betygen A, B, C, D, E, FX eller F.

The grades A, B, C, D and E are all passing grades. The students are given a final grade based on an overall assessment of all the elements included in the course and guided by the grade for the individual assignment. The final grade of the course is issued only when all elements of examination have been passed.

The examination is based on instruction and course literature.

The examination must allow for students to be assessed on an individual basis. Further information concerning assessment of specific intended learning outcomes and grading criteria is provided in a study guide distributed at the beginning of the course.

Students are guaranteed a minimum of three attempts to pass an examination, including the regular attempt.

If a student has failed the same examination three times, the student is entitled to request that the next examination be assessed and graded by a new examiner. The decision to accept or reject such a request is made by the vice dean of education. A student may not make a second attempt at any examination already passed in order to receive a higher grade.

In case a course is terminated or significantly altered, examination according to the earlier syllabus shall be offered on at least two occasions in the course of one year after the termination/alteration.


The course is examined through:
- Seminar 1: The critical outlook, an introduction to a critical perspective on media in the digital age (learning outcomes 1, 2 and 7)
- Seminar 2: Participation in the digital age – what does participation mean and who is participating? (learning outcomes 2, 3, 5 and 7)
- Seminar 3: Power and social movements - limits and abilities in the digital age, examples from the Occupy and metoo movement (learning outcomes 2, 3, 5 and 7)
- Individual written assignment (learning outcomes 4, 5, 6 and 7)

The final grade equals the grade received for the majority of the course credits (the individual written assignment).

Poängregistrering av examinationen för kursen sker enligt följande system:
ExaminationsmomentOmfattningBetyg
Seminarium 111 hpU/G
Seminarium 211 hpU/G
Seminarium 311 hpU/G
Individuell skriftlig inlämningsuppgift4,5 hpA/B/C/D/E/FX/F
1 The examination is graded Fail (U) or Pass (G).

Kursvärdering

The instruction is followed up throughout the course. At the end of the course, a course evaluation is performed and commented on by the course coordinator and, if possible, a student representative/student representatives (course developer/s). The evaluation, which is published on the relevant e-learning platform and submitted to the administration, is to function as a basis for future improvements to the course.

Kurslitteratur

Allmer, Thomas (2014). (Dis)Like Facebook? Dialectical and Critical Perspectives on Social Media. Javnost - The Public, 21(2): 39-55. 16 pages.

Andrejevic, Mark (2008). Watching television without pity: the productivity of online fans. Television & New Media, 9(1):24-46. 22 pages.

Berglez, Peter (2016). Few-to-many communication: Public figures' self-promotion on Twitter through 'joint performances' in small networked constellations. Annales. Series Historia et Sociologia, 26(1): 171-184. 13 pages.

Berglez, Peter (2018). Smileys Without Borders: A Critique of Transboundary Interaction between Politicians, Journalists and PR practitioners on Social Media. TripleC 16(1): 18-34. 16 pages.

Fuchs, Christian (2012). Some reflections on Manuel Castells book “Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the internet age”. TripleC, 10(2): 775-797. 22 pages.

Fuchs, Christian (2017). Social Media, a critical introduction. London: Sage. 385 pages.

Jenkins, Henry (2008). Convergence Culture. New York: New York University Press. 368 pages.

Uldam, Julie (2018). Social media visibility: challenges to activism. Media, Culture & Society, 40(1) 41–58. 17 pages.

Van Dijk, José (2009). Users like you? Theorizing agency in user-generated content. Media, Culture & Society, 31(1): 41–58. 17 pages.

Additional articles 100 pages
Citing Sources – How to Create Literature References
http://ju.se/library/search--write/citing-sources---how-to-create-literature-references.html

The Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide – Jönköping University
Information about plagiarism at higher education institutions
Available on the e-learning platform