98643 - SEM.SOCIOLOGY AND CYBER CITIZENSHIP

Learning outcomes

At the end of the seminar, students will have learned how to decipher some of the main ways in which the digital dimension influences relationality, both in small groups and in a larger dimension. The students will also have refined their ability to recognise the dynamics at play, with particular regard to the phenomena of discrimination, attack and aggressive aggregation, and will have developed further skills in the direction of an increased responsibility and awareness in the use of social media.

Course contents

Recent theories on moral reasoning, affective primacy, and confirmative thought as keys to understand the human behaviour in the digital dimension

Aggressivity in the online arena: against the individual (e.g. cyberbullying, revenge porn)

Aggressivity in the online arena: against groups (e.g. call out culture, hate speech and use of memes)

Polarisation and echo chambers

Readings/Bibliography

Limor Shifman, Memes in digital culture, MIT Press, 2013.
Angela Nagle, Kill all normies, Zero Books, 2017.

Teaching methods

Frontal lectures, exploration of websites, interactive discussions.

Assessment methods

The assessment will be referred to the presentation of a research prepared in group by the students, who must attend at least 2/3 of the course. 

Teaching tools

The teacher will use powerpoint slides, films and interactive instruments. All meetings of the group are held online via Microsoft Teams.

Students with special needs related to different forms of disability or to DSA, are welcome to contact their teacher in order to be referred to the contact persons and to arrange the most appropriate measures to be taken.

Office hours

See the website of Annalisa Verza