Course Syllabus

New Media and Changing Communities

Fall 2017

Copenhagen
3 Credits

Core Class
Study Tour: Dublin

Major Disciplines: Communication. Media Studies.

Faculty Member: Dorte Mari Aggergaard, dma@dis.dk 

Program Director: Iben de Neergaard, Vestergade 10 A23, idn@dis.dk

Assistant Program Director: Nya Oxfeldt Jensen, Vestergade 10 A23, noj@dis.dk

Program Assistant: Holly Querin, Vestergade 10 A23, hqu@dis.dk

Tuesdays and Fridays, 10:05-11:25, V10-D11

How do new media facilitate or challenge collaboration and community building? The ambition of this course is to understand the historical and contemporary importance of media in creating communities and collaboration. We draw on European theories of communication to hone your critical media literacy and examine how both new and existing communities are imagined, constructed and represented in online media. You will also consider who may be excluded or missing from the social media landscape.

By questioning the contemporary popular notion that an increase use of the internet may decrease social contact and intimate relationships, this course takes seriously the kinds of community and collaboration that are thriving due to online culture. You will be encouraged to reflect and analyze differences in new media use between the United States and Scandinavia. 

The internet gives us the opportunity to search for information and entertainment, connect with friends and distant family, engage in new communities, share data, laugh and stay curious. However, the content and actions can also challenge norms, privacy or expose experiences, behaviors and points of views we may not agree with, find disturbing or violating. Therefore, the course also sheds light on the dark side of the web.

During our week-long study tour to Dublin, we will explore how new communities form around and utilize media such as Facebook and Google. We also learn about the Irish culture and its popular manifestations today.

Learning Objectives   

In this course, you will:

1. Trace changes in both available media and theoretical frames to understand “media” 
2. Explore, compare, and contrast Denmark, Sweden, and Ireland as case studies for critical analysis of new media, communities and collaboration
3. Reflect on the relationship between new media, collaboration and community in relation to specific contexts/examples including your own experiences and hands-on activities
4. Demonstrate mastery of course material and reflect on how it applies to your lived reality

Teaching Methods 

This course will be taught using a combination of methods. There is a strong emphasis on participation and class discussions and while I am responsible for the overall structure of the class, all of us will contribute to the production of knowledge. Although there are some lectures and guest lectures, the class will mainly be student driven through (small and large) group work and debates. 

Your engagement with new media platforms play an important role and you are encouraged to reflect actively on the affordances/limitations of these forms of social media in relation to creating our own “community” as a class.

Overall, the aim is to create a classroom space characterized by respect and willingness to listen/consider others’ perspectives, where it is safe to explore ideas together and individually, even when they are not fully conceptualized or thought through. This requires a great amount of trust in each other and a willingness and curiosity to consider each other’s arguments.

Required Readings 

Course readings are found on Canvas. Before each class, you are expected to read the texts and watch the films/videos assigned for the class.

Facebook Group

Before most classes you are required to post at least one entry to our Facebook group “CMNM FA17”. Your instructor will provide you with more information. Please post relevant links, images, videos, texts, discussion questions etc.

Grading

**To be eligible for a passing grade in this class you must complete all of the assigned work**

A word about grades 

I realize that grades are important to you, but try not to let your anxiety about grades deter you from taking intellectual risks and learning just for the joy of learning. I do not grade to punish or reward you just as my grade is not an indication of my evaluation of you as a person. I grade you to give you my honest assessment of your academic performance. 

 

DIS Policies

Disability and Resource Statement

Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk ) to coordinate this.  In order to receive accommodations, students should inform the instructor of approved DIS accommodations within the first two weeks of classes.

 

DIS Policies Attendance:

You are expected to attend all DIS classes when scheduled. If you miss multiple classes, the Director of Teaching and Learning, and the Director of Student Affairs, will be notified and they will follow-up with you to make sure that all is well. Absences will jeopardize your grade and your standing at DIS.

Allowances will be made in cases of illness, but in the case of multiple absences you will need to provide a doctor’s note.

According to DIS policy, two consecutive unexcused absences will result in a report to the Academic Registrar. Three or more absences will have a negative effect your academic standing at DIS; your home university will be notified.

 

Academic Honesty:

Plagiarism and Violating the Rules of an Assignment DIS expects that students abide by the highest standards of intellectual honesty in all academic work. DIS assumes that all students do their own work and credit all work or thought taken from others.

Academic dishonesty will result in a final course grade of “F” and can result in dismissal. The students’ home university will be notified. DIS reserves the right to request that written student assignments be turned in electronic form for submission to plagiarism detection software. See the Academic Handbook for more information, or ask your instructor if you have questions.