Journalism 394MI - Media, Technology and Culture

This course aims to provide students with a framework for critically examining the intersections between media messages, the digital revolution and the wider sociocultural environment. That journalism has been profoundly impacted by the development of Web 2.0 applications is nowadays axiomatic. However, the precise ways in which such "new media" phenomena as Facebook & Twitter, the personal blog and the smart phone have transformed news gathering, packaging and dissemination still need to be researched and understood. Students will reflect critically on the manner in which their communication (e.g., their use of language, imagery and technology) creates and, in turn, is determined by, the social and cultural world(s) in which they live. Investigating their meaning-making processes in this way should translate into an increased awareness of the causes and consequences of their storytelling choices. The course readings will deal with such issues as identity formation, social and cultural diversity, linguistic and technological determinism, ritual, perception and subjectivity, and cultural competency. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Journ majors.

Some seats are reserved for Senior, Junior and Sophomore Journalism majors and the remaining are open to all other majors who are Seniors, Juniors, and Sophomores.