NMC 204 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of New Media and Communication

Course Name

Digital Media Cultures

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
NMC 204	Spring	2	2	3	6

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Required
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Discussion Group Work Case Study Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	Arş.Gör.Dr. SEVDA KAYA KİTINUR
Course Lecturer(s)	Arş.Gör.Dr. SEVDA KAYA KİTINUR
Assistant(s)	-

Course Objectives	This course provides the students with the concepts and theories related to digital media technologies, along with the necessary skills to conduct basic research based on the uses of these technologies in everyday life.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Understand digital media and their indications within the society in a critical way, Discuss how communication technologies diffuse through a society, Elaborate on the effects of digital media use in political, economic, and cultural contexts, Demonstrate literacy skills relevant to the forms of digital media, Conduct basic research in the field of digital media.
Course Description	This course focuses on the issues related to digital media and its connections to social, political and cultural contexts. The course touches upon what is “new” and not new in media, the role of media technologies in daily life, the effects of content creation, the flow and distribution of information through platforms, as well as issues concerning big data. It elaborates on how the digital media ecosystem works, with a particular focus on the components of this ecosystem (users, content creators, media\ncompanies, etc). It discusses contemporary trends such as polarization, echo chambers and fake news.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Course Introduction
2	Understanding digital media cultures: key concepts and everyday practices	Lister, Martin et al. (2009). New Media: A Critical Introduction. “New Media and New Technologies” (Chapter 1), pp. 10–44.
3	Digital media in everyday life and routines	Markham, Tim (2014). Media and Everyday Life (2nd ed.). Bloomsbury Academic. Part 2: “Media in Public Life,” pp. 39–67.
4	Digital identity, self-presentation and online personas	Baym, N. (2010). Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Polity Press. Chapter 5: “New Relationships, New Selves?” pp. 99–121.
5	Platform power, ownership and cultural control	Hodkinson, P. (2017). Media, Culture and Society: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Chapter 3: “Media Industry”, pp. 60–83.
6	Influencers, micro-celebrity and creator cultures	Abidin, C. (2018). From Internet Celebrities to Influencers (pp. 71–98). In Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. Emerald Publishing.
7	Digital media, politics and disinformation cultures	Zimdars, M., & McLeod, K. (2020). Social Media: Part Introduction. In Fake News: Understanding Media and Misinformation in the Digital Age. MIT Press.
8	Midterm Week
9	Participatory cultures: fandom, gaming and online communities	Jenkins, H. (2018). Fandom, Negotiation and Participatory Culture. In P. Booth (Ed.), A Companion to Media Fandom and Fan Studies. Wiley.
10	Datafication, algorithms and everyday digital culture	boyd, d., & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical Questions for Big Data. Information, Communication & Society, 15(5), 662–679.
11	Digital activism and networked social movements	Gerbaudo, P. (2012). “‘Friendly’ Reunions: Social Media and the Choreography of Assembly” (pp. 18–47). In Tweets and the Streets: Social Media and Contemporary Activism. Pluto Press.
12	Surveillance, privacy and user awareness in digital culture	Bauman, Z., Bigo, D., Esteves, P., Guild, E., Jabri, V., Lyon, D., & Walker, R. B. J. (2014). After Snowden: Rethinking the impact of surveillance. International Political Sociology, 8(2), 121–144.
13	Digital fame, cancel culture and attention economies	Khamis, S., Ang, L., & Welling, R. (2017). Self-branding, ‘micro-celebrity’ and the rise of Social Media Influencers. Celebrity Studies, 8(2), 191–208.
14	AI and the future of digital media cultures
15	Review of the semester
16	Final week

Course Notes/Textbooks

Suggested Readings/Materials

Abidin, C. (2018). Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. Emerald Publishing.

Hodkinson, P. (2017). Media, Culture and Society: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.

Lister, M., Dovey, J., Giddings, S., Grant, I., & Kelly, K. (2009). New Media: A Critical Introduction (2nd ed.). Routledge.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation	1	10
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments	1	40
Presentation / Jury	-	-
Project
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm	1	20
Final Exam	1	30
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	3	70
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	30
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	2	32
Laboratory / Application Hours (Including exam week: '.16.' x total hours)	16	2	32
Study Hours Out of Class	14	2	28
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques			0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments	4	9	36
Presentation / Jury	-		0
Project			0
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	21	21
Final Exam	1	31	31
		Total	180

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to critically discuss and interpret the theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of the discipline of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
2	To be able to critically interpret theoretical debates concerning the relations between the forms, agents, and factors that play a role in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	X
3	To have the fundamental knowledge and ability to use the technical equipment and software programs required by the new media production processes.	-	-	-	-	-
4	To be able to gather, scrutinize and scientifically investigate data in the processes of production and distribution.	-	-	-	-	-
5	To be able to use the acquired theoretical knowledge in practice.	-	-	X	-	-
6	To be able to take responsibility both individually and as a member of a group to develop solutions to problems encountered in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
7	To be informed about national, regional, and global issues and problems; to be able to generate problem-solving methods depending on the quality of evidence and research, and to acquire the ability to report the conclusions of those methods to the public.	-	X	-	-	-
8	To be able to critically discuss and draw on theories, concepts and ideas that form the basis of other disciplines complementing the field of new media and communication studies.	-	-	-	X	-
9	To be able to develop and use knowledge and skills towards personal and social goals in a lifelong process.	-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to apply social, scientific and professional ethical values in the field of new media and communication.	-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to collect datain the areas of new media and communication and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign language at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout the human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-