HFMK03313U COG/FM, Module 2: Networked Media Environments

It has become a tired truism that media technologies are now everywhere and used all the time for everything. This course introduces students to a toolbox built to unpack how this actually unfolds with a particular focus on everyday instances of networked media environments: how do people actually use networked media technologies for interpersonal communication – as well as other things?

The course is organized in three modules. The first is a set of brush-up sessions on methodology and research design, with special attention to the specifics of digital networked media. The second module is organized around a small selection of relevant concepts, frameworks, and themes – i.e. affordances, genre, interactivity, mobility and social networks. The third module presents three examples of select research topics and possible ways of implementing and operationalizing methods and frameworks from the previous sessions. All three modules include a dedicated exam workshop.

The overall aim of the course is to enable students to analyze specific and bounded instances of interaction processes and patterns related to networked media. For the exam, students are encouraged to apply a set of chosen methods and a relevant theoretical framework to a case of their own choice. It is not mandatory that students perform an empirical study as part of their exam, but the course is designed to enable small scale empirical studies. The course sessions will mix lectures and exercises and it also includes three dedicated exam workshops, focusing on operationalization. Students are strongly encouraged to be open and willing to discuss their research designs during the course.