Digital Culture

This course is an introduction to the theory and practice of digital media, of how they affect the formation of human groups, and how are themselves affected by human groups. Changes in means of communication imply changes in the nature of communication itself, and therefore in the nature of the societies which communicate through these means. The near-ubiquitous presence of computer-mediated communications thus affects the way that humans organize, relate and imagine. As computers are changing us, this class provides the tools to approach and understand the nature of these changes. To do so, this course will proceed along three axes: decoding, coding and exploring. Decoding will be a cross-disciplinary approach to the digital, spanning history, sociology, anthropology, media studies, science/technology studies and software studies. Coding will involve students the practicalities of working with, and creating, digital objects (websites, videos, podcasts, visualizations). Exploring will stand on the two previous and take the form of a digital exploration: a sociological investigation on the social, economic and/or political impact of digital technologies on human behaviors and practices. This investigation will be designed, developed and presented on a digital platform harnessing the specific affordances of digital media.

You are expected to spend between 1 and 2 hours each week on coursework, including preparing any readings, making your website, and making progress on your exploration with your group. A typical weekly workload will include: one or two readings, and a short response to that reading, and some work on your individual commentary, or group exploration.