Mediated Societies: Changes of Media Environment - JSB740

• Title: Mediated Societies: Changes of Media Environment
• Guaranteed by: Department of Sociology (23-KS)
• Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
• Actual: from 2024
• Semester: summer
• E-Credits: 7
• Examination process: summer s.:combined
• Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
• Capacity: 24 / 15 (20)
• Min. number of students: unlimited
• 4EU+: no
• Virtual mobility / capacity: no
• State of the course: taught
• Language: English
• Teaching methods: full-time
• Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan; enabled for web enrollment
• Guarantor: Mgr. Andrea Hrůzová, Ph.D.
• Teacher(s): Mgr. Andrea Hrůzová, Ph.D.
• Class: Courses for incoming students

Annotation

The course will introduce students to some of the basic concepts, theories and paradigms in the study of media as a prerequisite for an inquiry into the symptoms and consequences of technology-driven transformations of media communication nowadays. Political communication and popular culture will be pinpointed as two normatively contrasting realms of media communication with a long tradition of being under sociological and cultural scrutiny. The course is designed to clarify recent technologically grounded dynamics as well as media ́s entrenchment in the constitution of modern society - and to capture the connections between the two where appropriate.

The format of the course consists of frontal lectures, debates and workshops in small seminar groups of students, guest lectures and a gallery visit. Seminars function as a hub of creative ideas / individual homeworks which will be further developed into the format of the final, theory-driven creative media project. The students are not expected to have a previous professional or creative experience in the field of media production, yet they will be asked to actively work with various media formats that require a certain level of creativity like podcasts, IG accounts or websites.

The continual engagement of students with the content of the course is expected and required through debating the required readings at seminars and continually working on bi-weekly homeworks. The timely submission of all required materials is expected.

The students of the international programme of Social Sciences can use priority enrollment for the course. Czech university students and Erasmus students are welcome.
This course should be taken before the class "Digitalised Societies" is attended.

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (27.01.2025)

Aim of the course

Course Objectives
1. Understanding the changes in media communication brought about by the digital turn in the context of broader social and cultural processes.
2. Capability to reflect on one's common-sense experience of communicative environment from academic and critical perspectives.
3. Employment of one´s own creative research and problem-solving skills.
4. Improvement of presentation skills.

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.01.2024)

Course completion requirements

Assessment methods

The course is designed as a space for a collective discussion as well as an individual work with the emphasis put on combining theory and creative practice in the field of media studies.

Each student is expected to fully participate in seminar sessions by reading the required literature and by presenting his/her/their homework. The homework is submitted to the Moodle TWO DAYS PRIOR to a bi-weekly seminar session. Each homework assignment has a special turn-it-in folder visible on the main page of the course in a weekly overview. Every homework assignment is commented on and evaluated by a seminar leader before the seminar session.

There is the required attendance to both, frontal lectures and small group seminars of 80% (ie., in total, there are three absences allowed if communicated in advance and accompanied by reasoning/evidence).

To successfully complete the course, it is expected that students:

• have demonstrated the attendance +80% (3 absences, excused via email in advance)

• have timely submitted 5 homework assignments (25 points = 5 points per homework assignment)

• active participation & presentation of homework assignments at seminars (15 points, evaluated at the end of the semester)

• have timely submitted the final project (60 points): 

  • further development of one of the homework assignments into a complex project 

  • submitting an idea draft in advance (the 5th homework) to discuss ideas and suggestions with a seminar leader

  • writing a theoretical context and an idea concept for the project

  • realization of a creative media part (ie., podcast, social media account, scenario for a show, …)  

  • writing a short self-reflective letter

AI policy:
Students are allowed to use various AI tools for a research purpose with referencing properly to its usage, yet they cannot employ it for writing the text or generating the visuals. This is the strict policy and its violation will be followed by an official disciplinary meeting. 

A - F grading system

91 + = A
81-90 = B
71-80 = C
61-70 = D
51-60 = E
0-50 = F

 

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (27.01.2025)

Literature

Seminar Reading:

Jay David Bolter & Richard Grusin. 1999. Remediation. Understanding New Media. Cambridge: MIT Press.
(Selected pages in one PDF file uploaded to Moodle: The Double Logics of Remediation & Immediacy, Hypermediacy, and Remediation)

Reifová I., & Hájek M. (2021). Perspectives on Mediated Shame of Class and Poverty in European Contexts. Mediated Shame of Class and Poverty Across Europe (pp. 1-18).

Christopher, A.M. From Silence to Canvas: The Role of Artivism in Transforming Gender and Sexuality Norms. Sexuality & Culture 29, 97–121 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-024-10256-6

Siobhan Angus (2021), ´Mining the History of Photography´ in Capitalism and the Camera, eds. by K. Coleman & D. James, London & New York: Verso, p. 68-88.

Buckingham, D. (2020): Rethinking digital literacy: Media education in the age of digital capitalism. Digital Literacy Review (37), 230-239.

Recommended Reading:

Addams, Catherine and Thompson, Terrie Lynn (2016) Researching a Posthuman World. Interviews with Digital Objects. London: Palgrave. (Chapter 1: Introduction to posthuman inquiry, pp. 1 – 23).
Fuchs, Christian (2014) Social Media: A Critical Introduction . London: Sage (Chapter 6: Google, Good or Evil Search Engine?, pp. 126-151).
Graeme, Burton (2002) More Than Meets the Eye: An Introduction to Media Studies. Arnold.
Hartley, J. (1999) Uses of Television. London: Routledge. (Chapter 12, pp. 154-165).
Jenkins, Henry (2006) Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide . New York: New York University Press (pp. 1-10).
Ott, Brian and Mack, Robert (2009) Critical Media Studies: An Introduction. John Wiley & Sons.
Redden, Guy (2018) Is Reality TV neoliberal? Television and New Media 19(5): 399–414.
Splendore, S. (2016) Quantitatively oriented forms of journalism and their epistemology. Sociology Compass, 10(5), 343-352.

 

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (27.01.2025)

Requirements to the exam

To successfully complete the course, it is expected that students:

• have demonstrated the attendance +80% (3 absences, excused via email in advance)

• have timely submitted 5 homework assignments (25 points = 5 points per homework assignment)

• active participation & presentation of homework assignments at seminars (15 points, evaluated at the end of the semester)

• have timely submitted the final project (60 points): 

• further development of one of the homework assignments into a complex project 

• submitting an idea draft in advance (the 5th homework) to discuss ideas and suggestions with a seminar leader

• writing a theoretical context and an idea concept for the project

• realization of a creative media part (ie., podcast, social media account, scenario for a show, …)  

• writing a short self-reflective letter

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (31.01.2024)

Syllabus

Week 1: Lecture: Transformations in Historical and Contemporary Media Environment 18. 2.

 

Week 2: Seminar: Remediation & Technological Dependancy 25. 2.

 

Week 3: Lecture: Entertainisation of Politics, Politicisation of Popular Culture (video class) 4. 3.

 

Week 4: Seminar: Entertainisation of Politics, Politicisation of Popular Culture 11. 3.

 

Week 5: Lecture: Media & Activism 18. 3. 

 

Week 6: Seminar: Media & Activism 25. 3.

 

Week 7: Workshop: Digital & Data Activism 1. 4. 

 

Week 8: Lecture: Critical Approaches to New Media 8. 4.

 

Week 9: Seminar: Critical Approaches to New Media 15. 4.

 

Week 10: Guest Lecture: Media in the Age of Digital Capitalism (Tibor Vocasek COLLECTIVELY STREAMED CLASS) 22. 4.

 

Week 11: Seminar: Media in the Age of Digital Capitalism 29. 4.

 

Week 12: Final Project Consultations 6. 5.

 

Last update: Hrůzová Andrea, Mgr., Ph.D. (27.01.2025)