Social Software and the Transcultural Mediasphere

Recent innovations in communication technologies – often summarised under the label “Web 2.0” – have begun to change the relationship between broadcast media and media of personal communication. Newspapers, television channels, and radio stations are increasingly complemented by “citizen media” such as blogs, video and image sharing websites (Youtube, Flickr), and social networking platforms (Myspace, Facebook, Second Life). In the context of transcultural studies, this raises the question whether the concomitant transformation of the mediasphere results in a more differentiated perception of the relationship between Western and non-Western cultures.

This course will attempt to map the transcultural blogosphere, and it will try to shed some light on the role social software plays in the establishment and maintenance of diasporic, nomadic, or migrant communities. Furthermore, we will try to understand which forces shape the production, dissemination, and reception of transcultural media flows. Students are strongly encouraged to pursue their own research projects, and to develop their own methodologies. The course itself will be taught through different channels, therefore students are expected to develop their new media literacy through experimentation with different media.

Requirements: unbenoteter Schein: attendance of all course meetings/events and final exam; benoteter Schein: term paper.

Further details of the course will be announced shortly. Please sign up by email to julian@kuecklich.de