81878 - Digital Media and Gender

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows the role that women have played in Information and Communication Technology and particularly in Internet Studies fields. He/she knows the debates on "women and the web" (gender digital divide, Internet Governance, gender stereotypes and feminism on/of the web). He/she knows how to plan and carry out research projects on women's communities. He/she knows different types of business models.

Course contents

The course focuses the attention on the relationship between gender and digital media, tackling both gender inequalities and user's opportunities to challenge the patriarchal system. The course is divided in two teaching modules. During the first part of the course we will explore the concept of gender and its implications in media and Internet studies. In the second part of the course we will tackle the feminist approaches to the Internet and analyze some cases of female web entrepreneurs subverting patriarchal ideology.

Readings/Bibliography

Essential reading list:

Saveria Capecchi (2018) "La comunicazione di genere. Prospettive teoriche e buone pratiche", Carocci, Roma.

- Saveria Capecchi, Elisabetta Ruspini (a cura di) (2009) "Media, corpi, sessualità. Dai corpi esibiti al cybersex", Franco Angeli, Milano.

- Marzia Vaccari (2019) Saggio: Appunti di "femminismo digitale" #1 è possibile il download del file pdf.

- Marzia Vaccari (2018) Paper: Artificial Intelligence una critica femminista è possibile il download del file pdf.

- Marzia Vaccari (2009) Tecnologia-neutra-ma-non-neutrale in Patrizia Violi, Cristina Demaria “Tecnologie di genere. Teoria, usi e pratiche di donne nella rete” Bononia University Press.

Recommended bibliography:

• Raewyn Connell "Gender" (2009, trad. it. "Questioni di genere", il Mulino, Bologna 2011, 2° ed.)
• Le filosofie femministe, Adriana Cavarero e Franco Restaino (Mondadori 2002)
• Gender and the media, Rosalind Gill (Polity, 2007)
• New Femininities, edited by Rosalind Gill and Christina Scharff (Palgrave Macmillan 2011)
• Lo schermo del potere. Femminismo e regime della visibilità, Alessandra Gribaldo e Giovanna Zapperi (Ombre corte 2012)
• Tutt’altro genere d’informazione coordinamento scientifico a cura di Monia Azzalini(2015, reperibile online)
• Relazioni brutali. Genere e violenza nella cultura mediale, Elisa Giomi e Sveva Magaraggia (il Mulino, 2017)
• Visioni del femminile a cura di Cristina Demaria e Roberta Sassatelli (“Studi culturali” 3/2013)
• Questioni di genere nel giornalismo italiano a cura di Milly Buonanno (“Problemi dell’informazione” 3/2015)
• Il prisma dei generi. Immagini di donne in tv, a cura di Milly Buonanno (Franco Angeli, 2014)

 

Teaching methods

Lectures, case studies, seminars.

Assessment methods

Students attending the course: written test (four open-ended questions taken from the essential reading list) or an essay of 20.000 words on a topic of your choice within the ones tackled during the course. You will have to discuss your research in class, with a short power point presentation.

Students not attending the course: written test (four open-ended questions on the books from the essential reading list).

International students: written test (or essay of 20.000 words on a topic of your choice) in English, French or Spanish.

Teaching tools

Power point slides, videos.

Office hours

See the website of Saveria Capecchi

See the website of Marzia Vaccari