COM-4010: Participatory Media

Fake news, net neutrality, and digital citizenship are examples of topics that are increasingly present in our everyday lives. Until very recently, the full power to produce, edit and disseminate information was primarily in the hands of corporate media. While these media conglomerates have consolidated their monolithic grip on mainstream outlets, at the same time new affordable, portable and user-friendly communication and microblogging technologies have empowered individuals, groups and entire communities to become active producers and disseminators of their own messages. These new media activists freely disrupt, illuminate, engage, inspire, demystify, and democratize communication media. Often labeled as civic press, alternative media, community media, media of third degree, or radical media, these tools foster, at their core, active and politically engaged processes grounded on the principle of participation. Here we use the concept of Participatory Media to refer to the whole range of strategies and tools found in media activism. This course offers students the opportunity to use three lenses –history, theory, and technology-to analyze the implications of this unprecedented shift in which growing numbers of media audiences, including students themselves, may take media in their own hands and become active producers of information. The historical lens helps us track the social and political forces that have fostered the emergence of participatory media. The theoretical lens exposes us to rich scholarly conversations that shed light on the new intersection of social communication and human agency. As for the technological lens, it puts us in touch with the mechanical and digital tools at the disposal of participatory media.
Min. Credits: 3.0 Max Credits: 4.0
Credit Basis: Quarter credit
Location(s): Antioch Univ Los Angeles
Method(s): Classroom
Course Type Liberal & Disciplinary Studies

About

Leadership

Administrative Resources

Discover Our Campuses

Academic Focus Areas

Programs by Type

Programs by Modality

Programs by Campus

Academic Resources

Admissions

Information for

Dates & Deadlines

Tuition & Fees

Financial Aid

COM-4010: Participatory Media