According to the course description, this course examines the roles of mass, news, and social media in society from a sociological perspective. It analyzes how media are shaped by political, economic, sociocultural, and technological focuses, how they influence social values, social relations, and behaviors, and how they facilitate social change. We will engage with the historical development of media and the role(s) of media in various locations. The course explores the connections between the production, distribution, and consumption of media at individual, family/communal, local, regional, national, and international levels. Students analyze how media representations shape and are shaped by different social identities. Students analyze these aspects of media through electronic portfolios, allowing for a direct interaction with visual, aesthetic, and thematic choices to characterize, comment, and criticize the media and society. Course materials invite open discussion about media debates, including politics, gender, technology, nationality, power, fake news, anonymity, and artificial intelligence.
- Instructor: Laura Mudde