HFMK03314U FM, Module 2, Media, Genre and Aesthetics: Online Media and Political Engagement

Volume 2017/2018
Education

Master in Film and Media Studies, 2016-curriculum

Content

From anti-Trump demonstrations and the international women’s marches, to the Arab Spring uprisings, the internet has become a key battleground in mobilising and sustaining social movements. The combination of political activism and digitally-mediated communication has seen traditional forms of protest evolve into conflicts over information, where different actors compete with one another to shape media narratives. This course will explore the intersection of online media with political engagement, as well as specific forms of participatory culture that have evolved since the advent of social media. Students will have the opportunity to analyse the power and limits of networked spaces in contemporary social movements and grassroots activism, and the impacts on individual political engagement using a combination of theoretical perspectives and real world case studies.

We will begin by examining the political-economic conditions that have led to the mobilisation of online social claims for global justice in the last decade. We will then consider a range of critical theoretical perspectives on whether and how digital media technologies have been instrumental in the articulation of such claims, including theories of connective media, small and alternative media, and the development of Web 2.0 technologies. Students will analyse a wide variety of media, from everyday cultural forms such as video activism and satire, to global movements using social media platforms.

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. The course sessions will combine lectures, exercises and student presentations, as well as dedicated exam workshops.

Learning Outcome

Master in Film and Media Studies 2016-curriculum:
Module 2: Media, Genre and Aesthetics: HFMK03311E

 

  • Category
  • Hours
  • Class Instruction
  • 56
  • Course Preparation
  • 353,5
  • Total
  • 409,5
Credit
15 ECTS
Type of assessment
Other
The exam will be conducted in English
Criteria for exam assesment