Gender studies, cultures and policies for media and communication

The course consists of two modules that will proceed in synergy. The first one, Sociology of Digital Media, is aimed at providing students with the theoretical and empirical frameworks of the sociology of digital media. Particular emphasis will be given to gain knowledge regarding the interplay between: a. web cultures and communicative practices connected to specific digital environments, focusing on social networking platforms; b. the shaping of specific social aggregates [networked publics, affective publics] exceeding the characteristics of mainstream media audiences; c. the mechanisms [on the platforms side: datafication, commodification, selection; on the users side: engagement, virality and content circulation], practices and algorithmic logics governing the generation of echo chambers and filter bubbles, which are functional for the understanding of the mechanisms of public opinion formation. Based on these specific skills, the Laboratory on Gender and Media Activism and Gender Issues aims to investigate and develop concrete outputs based on theoretical frameworks to case studies and publicly relevant phenomena related to forms of media activism, with particular reference to gender and intersectional dimensions [e.g., data feminism, hashtag feminism, digital self-defense]. Based on the knowledge developed in the first module, the Lab will specifically explore: 1.    The role of "gender affordances" and platform design in fostering forms of discrimination, marginalization, and invisibilization 2. Examples of media activism aimed at countering discrimination. The in-depth work aims to stimulate students' reflection and creativity by applying them to the creation of group projects that will address the topics covered in the Laboratory