SOCIOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION

The course aims at: a) providing good knowledge of the main aspects and problems of the sociology of communication and of the relations between media and democracy; b) providing adequate knowledge of the digital ecosystems; c) providing basic skills to study the relationships among communication, artificial intelligence, platforms, and digital capitalism; d) providing a basic knowledge of the theoretical and technical tools of digital democracy.

We recommend that you have already taken the exam of Sociology

Dublin’s descriptors Students must achieve: 1. Knowledge and understanding: of the forms and languages ​​of the media through the acquisition of theoretical skills on sociological models with particular attention to the participatory forms and to the relationships between media and power. 1.1. Students achieve this basic knowledge through the class attendance and the study of the texts discussed in the classroom. 2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: through the ability to analyse media products by applying the main analytical methods. 2.1. Skills acquired through workshops in the classroom. 3. Judgment skills: a critical reflection on the evolutionary dynamics of the relationships between media technologies and society and on the ongoing transformations of communication and the public sphere. 3.1. This ability must be applied in the classroom discussion with the teacher and colleagues, during the exercises and in the preparation of the final exam. 4. Communication skills: students are called to interact in the classroom through questions, exchanges with classmates, drafting short presentations during the exercise. 4.1. Skills that are practised in the classroom with the organization of moments of discussion and exercise. 5. Learning skills: students are asked to adopt a critical learning method capable of connecting theoretical skills and empirical analysis, orienting themselves to the specification of autonomous thought. 5.1. Skills to be strengthened thanks to the argumentation with the teacher and with the classmates.

1. Definitions and basic concepts - Communication - Mass communication - Media and communication ecosystems - The question of power - Power in the media - Social media and power 2. The first phase of media studies - Communication Research - The Lasswell model - The mathematical theory of information - Models of selective influence - Two-step flow of communication 3. The second phase of media studies. Critical theories - Dialogue theories - Critical theories - Frankfurt School - The generations of critical theory - Raymond Williams and the critical approach to media studies 4. The second phase of media studies. Cultural Studies and social interaction - The theoretical foundations of Cultural Studies - The British and American schools (Structuralists and neo-culturalists) - Ideology and Hegemony - Media and Gender - Cultural Studies and the political economy of the media - Audience Studies 5. The third phase of media studies - Towards the third phase: McLuhan's global village - Internet: birth and evolution - Connective cultures - Digital cultures and information society - Information society and network society - A-critical optimism: participatory cultures 6. Social media - Development phases - Critical aspects of social media - Globalisation of communication - Digital work 7. Towards the fourth phase of media studies - Politics and the web - Platform society and digital capitalism - Algorithms and new forms of digital power - The return of the concept of manipulation - Information disorder - Filter bubbles and echo chambers - Fact-checking and debunking - Media literacy 8. Media and politics in the new global scenario - Neoliberalism and post-democracy - Post public sphere - Mediatisation and political communication - The four phases of political communication - Social media and politics - Propaganda model 9. Media, populism, and nationalism - Depoliticisation - Post-representative politics - Authoritarian populisms - Approaches to nationhood and nationalism - Theories of nationalism - Communicative theories of nationalism 10. e-Democracy - Dimensions, characteristics, and role of e-democracy - Digital culture and the public sphere - Democracy of algorithms - Digital environments and voting mechanisms - Models of e-democracy

Reference readings - De Blasio, E. (2019). e-Democracy. Teorie e problemi. Milano: Mondadori. - Sorice, M. (2020). Sociologia dei media. Un'introduzione critica. Roma: Carocci. - Materials provided through the LEARN platform and/or available in the PERLEGO platform.

The course includes lectures with the use of multimedia presentations and classroom activities. Indications will be provided for a deeper knowledge of specific topics. Tools and platforms: Learn, Perlego, Kialo-edu.

Assessment will be based upon: - active presence and participation: 10% - ongoing test: 60% - final exam: 30% Not-attending students will only take the written test on the exam reference books (which therefore constitutes 100% of the assessment). The final exam is based upon questionnaires (closed-ended and/or open-ended). As the assessment is based on the ongoing activities and the final test, the course does not include a mid-term exam.

Requested requirements:- interest in the sociology of communication and, more generally, in the area of media studies, sociology, democracy studies and political communication- sufficient ability to master and use texts in English- adequate knowledge of the foundations of sociology and political scienceTo obtain the degree thesis it is necessary to present a written project including research methodology, accompanied by a (provisional) index and a minimum basic bibliography.The mandatory quote system is HARVARD SYSTEM