Introduction to New Media and Digital Culture (ENG)

Course goals

By successfully completing the course, you will have:

• an elementary knowledge of the developments of new media from the mid-20th century until today;
• an elementary insight into the way old and new media have developed in relation to one another;
• an elementary insight into the potential role of new media in contemporary political, economic, social and cultural change processes (using perspectives from technological determinism, social constructivism and the actor-network theory);
• an elementary repertoire knowledge with respect to new media objects.

 On successfully completing the course, you will be able to:

• analyse new media using various theoretical concepts;
• use the academic reading skills needed to study scientific texts effectively;
• use the academic writing skills needed to convey knowledge and insights using academic idiom;
• use the academic writing skills needed to structure a text and refer correctly to scientific literature.

Content

The course presents an overview of the development of 'new' media from the mid-20th century until today. The course examines the relationships between old and new media and analyses the possible impact of new media on culture, politics, the economy and people's day-to-day lives. Consequently, the core question this course tries to answer is: what role do new media play in our lives? To answer this question, we will apply a variety of theoretical insights and concepts.
 
This course is part of Core Profile 2 of Media and Culture in English, building upon the historical and theoretical knowledge gained in Core Profile 1 and offering further training in academic research skills, with a particular focus on analytical skills.

Together with 'Introduction to Film', 'Introduction to new media and digital culture' is the first object course for the programme and consequently offers an initial overview of different types of new media, focusing specifically on playful media, social media platforms, datafication, apps, and the way in which ‘old' media (theatre, film, television, etc.) are being reshaped in the digital and networked age.
 

Additional information

This course is part of Core Profile 2 of the BA Media and Culture in English.

Note: This is the course code to register for a workgroup in English.
Let op: Dit is de cursuscode voor een Engelstalige werkgroep

Priority rules
This course has priority rules and a waiting list. Your enrolment is guaranteed if you
- are a student in the BA Media and Culture and this course is part of your core profile (basispakket)
- are an exchange student and meet the course’s entry requirements
In all other situations, you will be placed on a waiting list if you enrol in this course. For any remaining slots in the course, lots are drawn among the students on the waiting list.

A Maximum of 8 exchange students will be admitted to this course.

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final, and may still be modified until the third Wednesday in September