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Study information

Digital Media and Politics

Module titleDigital Media and Politics
Module codePOL2087
Academic year2023/4
Credits15
Module staff

(Convenor)

Duration: Term123
Duration: Weeks

11

Number students taking module (anticipated)

25

Module description

The media environment is rapidly changing how individuals understand the issues and topics central to democratic functioning. This course covers some of the main themes and concerns driven by the changing media structure and landscape. We consider how this interaction between the media and the public affects democratic functioning: where and how people learn about, discuss, and engage with issues of public importance, such as questions of political policy about science, health, technology, and society. This module is limited to 25 students.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to enable you to examine: the changing nature of political communication in the contemporary information environment; the emergent trends in findings regarding the role of new media platforms in political life; alternative and newer forms of political media and talk’ and theories which address the motivations behind online behaviour.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 1. Understand the key debates regarding the effects of digital media on the political process
  • 2. Demonstrate solid knowledge of ethical questions raised by new technological affordances

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 3. Critically analyse primary and secondary source material
  • 4. Understand political theory and models
  • 5. Construct and present rigorous oral and written argument

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

  • 6. Develop critical thinking skills, particularly as it relates to evaluating empirical evidence
  • 7. Develop writing skills to facilitate more powerful communication

Syllabus plan

The teaching program consists of 11 weeks of seminars in one term. There will be no lectures on this module. You are therefore expected to read extensively in preparation for class. The seminars will provide you with an opportunity to discuss a specific set of questions pertaining to the issues covered in the readings.

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

-Selective exposure in online content

-Echo chambers and filter bubbles

-Facebook and Twitter as information mediums

-Fake new and misinformation

-Bots and trolls

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
181320

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning & Teaching activities1811 x 1.5 hr seminars
Guided Independent Study78Reading assignments
Guided Independent Study24Preparation for exam
Guided Independent Study24Essay completion
Guided Independent Study6Preparation for presentation

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Class group presentation20 minutes1-7Verbal comments

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
50500

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay5035001-7Written comments
Written exam5090 minutes1-7Written comments
0
0
0
0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay (3500 words)1-7August/September reassessment
Written examWritten exam (90 mins)1-7August/September reassessment

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Munger, K. (2017). Tweetment effects on the tweeted: Experimentally reducing racist harassment. Political Behavior39(3), 629-649.

Theocharis, Y., Barberá, P., Fazekas, Z., Popa, S. A., & Parnet, O. (2016). A bad workman blames his tweets: the consequences of citizens' uncivil Twitter use when interacting with party candidates. Journal of communication66(6), 1007-1031.

Anderson, A. A., Brossard, D., Scheufele, D. A., Xenos, M. A., & Ladwig, P. (2013). The “nasty effect”: Online incivility and risk perceptions of emerging technologies. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, online first.

Freelon, D. G. (2010). Analyzing online political discussion using three models of democratic communication. New Media & Society, 12(7), 1172-1190.

Freelon, D., & Karpf, D. (2015). Of big birds and bayonets: Hybrid Twitter interactivity in the 2012 presidential debates. Information, Communication & Society, 18(4), 390-406. 

Milner, R. M. (2013). Pop polyvocality: Internet memes, public participation, and the Occupy Wall Street movement. International Journal of Communication, 7, 34.

Pennycook, G., Cannon, T., & Rand, D. G. (2018). Prior exposure increases perceived accuracy of fake news. Forthcoming in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General

Guess, A., Nyhan, B., & Reifler, J. (2018). Selective Exposure to Misinformation: Evidence from the consumption of fake news during the 2016 US presidential campaign.

Ercan, S. E., Hendriks, C. M., & Dryzek, J. (2018). Public deliberation in an era of communicative plenty. Policy & Politics.

Vraga, E. K., & Bode, L. (2017). I do not believe you: how providing a source corrects health misperceptions across social media platforms. Information, Communication & Society, 1-17.

Shah, D. V., Hanna, A., Bucy, E. P., Lassen, D. S., Van Thomme, J., Bialik, K., ... & Pevehouse, J. C. (2016). Dual screening during presidential debates: Political nonverbals and the volume and valence of online expression. American Behavioral Scientist, 60(14), 1816-1843.

Kreiss, D., & McGregor, S. C. (2018). Technology firms shape political communication: The work of Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, and Google with campaigns during the 2016 US presidential cycle. Political Communication, 35(2), 155-177.

Maireder, A., & Schlögl, S. (2014). 24 hours of an# outcry: The networked publics of a socio-political debate. European Journal of Communication, 29(6), 687-702.

Highfield, T., & Bruns, A. (2015). Is Habermas on Twitter? Social media and the public sphere. In The Routledge companion to social media and politics (pp. 78-95). Routledge.

Credit value15
Module ECTS

15

Module pre-requisites

None

Module co-requisites

None

NQF level (module)

5

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

22/06/2018

Last revision date

09/07/2018