Коммуникации и медиакомпетенции

Бакалавриат 2021/2022

Лучший по критерию «Полезность курса для расширения кругозора и разностороннего развития»

Статус: Курс обязательный (Социология и социальная информатика)

Направление: 39.03.01. Социология

Кто читает: Департамент иностранных языков

Где читается: Санкт-Петербургская школа социальных наук

Когда читается: 1-й курс, 3, 4 модуль

Формат изучения: с онлайн-курсом

Охват аудитории: для всех

Преподаватели: Взятышева Виктория Сергеевна, Нечай Валерий Владимирович, Смирнова Наталья Викторовна, Цыбина Ольга Сергеевна

Язык: английский

Кредиты: 4

Контактные часы: 42

Full Syllabus

Abstract

Students in higher education engage with the world of digital media while doing various projects in a variety of disciplines. Yet, digital media has been heavily criticized for misinforming, manipulating the truth, escalating social issues and serving the agenda of the powerful. One rarely knows how/why/with what consequences communication happens in the contemporary digital space. How can we read the news — and discern fake information from trustworthy? How can we powerfully engage in a meaningful and fair conversation in digital media? The 15-week course develops students’ ability to critically consume digital media information and to powerfully engage in a conversation, by using rhetoric, argumentation, and theories behind communication behavior in the society. Students will learn how to ‘read’ news and information posted online as well as learn how to produce news and information which has a strong impact. The language of instruction is English.

Learning Objectives

This course is designed to develop students’ knowledge of how media information is produced and consumed. The course will give an overview of various media phenomena that may influence our view of the world (e.g. agenda setting, misinformation, manipulative techniques, etc.) — and provide a better understanding of factors driving our trust in information. The ultimate goal of the course is to help students critically assess information in the digital environment and spot their own biases in media consumption. During this course students will learn not only to apply analytical and critical skills while consuming online media, but also to proactively use rhetoric and argumentation in a public discussion.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Students will learn to assess and adjust personal media consumption habits
Students will learn to build strong arguments in public discussions
Students will learn to discriminate between the quality journalism and adverse media practices
Students will learn to distinguish what counts as argument and analyze the argumentation techniques used in the media
Students will learn to spot manipulative and misinforming content online
Students will learn to understand personal biases in media consumption
Students will learn to understand the process of media production and its influence on society

Course Contents

Media production and media consumption
Quality news vs manipulative content
Biases in media production and consumption
Sources on information
Applying news literacy deconstruction basics
Digital citizenship
Media diet
Media ownership
Local media
Media literacy in the context of political science
What counts as ‘argument’
Argumentation: the power of context
Blogs and social networks

Assessment Elements

Class work
3 graded assignments — seminars by Victoria Vziatysheva 3 graded assignments — seminars by Olga Tsybina 1 graded assignment — seminar by Natalia Smirnova 1 graded assignment — seminar by Valeriy Nechay Students are expected to participate in the discussions and contribute to the work of fellow students. During the seminars, students will receive several group tasks primarily based on the case analysis. They will be asked to critically assess provided materials and share their conclusions with the rest of the group.
Presentations
Students will be asked to prepare several presentations throughout the class. Presentations can be done individually or in groups. The reports should be prepared based on the provided literature and personal research and presented in class. The estimated time for a presentation — up to 20 min plus up to 10 min for the Q&A session.
Examination Part I: Final task
For the final assignment students need to search for and analyze their own case related to one of the course topics. Format: pre-recorded video presentation (~15 min) Criteria for case selection: the case is relatively recent (not more than 10 years old); the case in related to media; the case was not provided by the instructors during the course; the case has enough background for the analysis; the case relates to the topics of the course; multiple related cases (e.g. several texts) can be chosen. General requirements for the assignment: Give a summary of the case analyzed; Identify which media phenomena it relates to; Provide theoretical background for the discussed phenomenon; Suggest which potential political, social, cultural, and economical outcomes the phenomenon represented by the case may have for the society (on different levels). Support the arguments with the theory and/or empirical evidence. Suggest practical guidelines to solve/improve/resist the case/the phenomenon represented (depending on the particular topic). Possible topics for cases: spread of misinformation; violation of media ethics; argumentation in media (positive and negative examples); biases created by the media (e.g. framing).
Examination Part II:Review
Apart from the final task, each student needs to provide meaningful and substantive feedback on the work of at least two other fellow students. Format: text (~ 0.5–1 page) Requirements for the review: Discuss the advantages of the report; Discuss the disadvantages of the report; Mention what was not clear enough; Suggest what can be improved and how.

Interim Assessment

2021/2022 4th module
0.5 * Class work + 0.4 * Examination Part I: Final task + 0.1 * Examination Part II:Review

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

Bruns, A. (2018). Gatewatching and news curation: Journalism, social media, and the public sphere. Australia, Australia/Oceania: Peter Lang. https://doi.org/10.3726/b13293

Recommended Additional Bibliography

Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K. H., & Cook, J. (2017). Beyond Misinformation:Understanding and Coping with the “Post-Truth” Era. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2017.07.008

Course Syllabus