SubjectsSubjects(version: 945)
Course, academic year 2016/2017
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Digital Sociology - JSB532
Title: Digital Sociology
Guaranteed by: Department of Sociology (23-KS)
Faculty: Faculty of Social Sciences
Actual: from 2016 to 2016
Semester: summer
E-Credits: 7
Examination process: summer s.:
Hours per week, examination: summer s.:1/1, Ex [HT]
Capacity: unlimited / unlimited (unknown)
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: English
Teaching methods: full-time
Teaching methods: full-time
Note: course can be enrolled in outside the study plan
enabled for web enrollment
Guarantor: doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D.
Teacher(s): doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D.
Class: Courses for incoming students
Examination dates   Schedule   Noticeboard   
Annotation
Last update: doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D. (23.02.2020)
The course will provide an introduction to the sociological understanding of how information and communication technologies shape contemporary societies. The course will focus on the social, cultural, political and economic implications of the diffusion of digital media in late modernity. The first lectures will provide an overview of the historical development of digital media and will present the main theories of digital media in contemporary societies. A focus will be given to the politics of social media as well as to the politics through social media. Particular attention will be given to the relationship between digital media social stratification, identity, body, politics, health, labour and the digital economy. Last but not the last, attention is given to the material aspects of digital infrastructures, related to the functioning of digitalized societies and interconnected invisible environmental externalities.

Course completion requirements
Last update: doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D. (03.02.2021)

Type of Completion: Exam (Zk) (based on assessment methods) 

Assessment methods: 

1) developing questions (formulation of 2 questions for 5 out of 10 compulsory texts (1 point max for each question) - 10 points max 

2) final test (A, B, C, D - one choice) - based on lectures and compulsory literature - 20 points max

3) final essay outline 1 (4 points max) and 2 (10 points max) - 14 points max 

4) final essay (around 2000 words long (+-10%)) - 56 points max 

 

IMPORTANT: To pass the Final Exam, the essay has to be evaluated with at least 29 points.

(The final essay has to include references to at least three academic articles on digital cultures not listed among compulsory readings)

 The tasks will be specified based on the number of students enrolled in the course during the registration period.

  

Grading System 

91 - 100 points: A

81 -  90 points: B

71 - 80 points: C

61 - 70 points: D

51 - 60 points: E

less than 51 points: F

 

Literature
Last update: doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D. (11.02.2021)

Compulsory readings (the final list will be published in Moodle on 17 Feb)

 

Hogan, B. (2010) The presentation of self in the age of social media: distinguishing performances and exhibitions online. Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, 30(6), 377-386.

Pybus, J., Coté, M., & Blanke, T. (2015). Hacking the social life of Big Data. Big Data & Society, 2(2): 26-33.

Lupač, P. (2018). Digital Divide Research. In Beyond the Digital Divide: Contextualizing the Information Society. Emerald Publishing Limited. (a selected chapter)

Lupton, D. (2013). The digitally engaged patient: Self-monitoring and self-care in the digital health era. Social Theory & Health, 11(3): 256–270.

Sunstein, C.R. (2017). #Republic: Divided Democracy in the Age of Social Media. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (a selected chapter)

Helland, C. “(2016). Digital Religion”, pp. 177-196 in D. Yamane (ed.), Handbook of Religion and Society, Cham: Springer.

Corradi, F., & Höfner, P. (2018). The disenchantment of Bitcoin: unveiling the myth of a digital currency. International Review of Sociology28(1), 193-207.

Schor, J. B., & Attwood‐Charles, W. (2017). The “sharing” economy: labor, inequality, and social connection on for‐profit platforms. Sociology Compass11(8), e12493.

Halloy, J. (2018). "Sustainability of Living Machines", in Prescott, T. J., Lepora, N. & Verschure, P.F.M.J., (Eds.), Living Machines, Oxford, Oxford University Press, pp. 610-618.

Latour, B. (2007). Can We Get Our Materialism Back, Please? ISIS. A Journal of the History of Science Society, 98 (1): 138-142.

Hutchings, T. (2011). Contemporary religious community and the online church. Information, Communication & Society14(8), 1118-1135.

Coco, A. (2008). Pagans online and offline: locating community in post-modern times, Sociological Spectrum, 28(5): 510-530.

 

 

 

Recommended literature

Barassi, V. (2019). Datafied Citizens in the Age of Coerced Digital Participation. Sociological Research Online, 24(3), 414-429.

Fisher, E. and Fuchs, C. (eds.) 2015. Reconsidering value and labour in the digital age. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Gane, N., & Beer, D. (2008). New media: The key concepts. Oxford: Berg

Kelty, C. (2008). Two Bits: The Cultural Significance of Free Software. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008.

Lupton, Deborah (2013) Digital Sociology. London: Routledge.

Marres, N. (2017). Digital sociology: The reinvention of social research. London: John Wiley & Sons.

Miller, V. (2011). Understanding digital culture. London: SAGE Publications.

Orton-Johnson, K. and N. Prior (Eds) (2013) Critical Perspectives in Digital Sociology, Palgrave MacMillan, Basingstoke.

Syllabus
Last update: doc. PhDr. Dino Numerato, Ph.D. (17.02.2021)

Course schedule

(Indicative syllabus: the exact dates of lectures will be given on Moodle: https://dl1.cuni.cz/course/view.php?id=5150, on 17 February 2021)

 

Week 1 (17 February, Lecture 1): Course introduction, Identities and Digital Cultures in Everyday Life

Week 2 (24 February, Lecture 2): Making Sense of Big Data 

Week 3 (3 March, Lecture 3): Digital Health

Week 4 (10 March, Lecture 4): Political Participation Online

Week 5 (17 March, Lecture 5): Digital Divide – Petr Lupač, a guest lecture

 Week 6 (24 March, Lecture 6): Religion Online – Alessandro Testa, a guest lecture

Week 7 (31 March, Lecture 7): Digital Currencies – Martin Tremčinský, a guest lecture

Week 8 (7 April, Seminar 1): Discussing final essay first ideas 1

Week 9 (14 April, Lecture 8): Sharing Economy and Digital Labour – Tereza Svobodová, a guest lecture

Week 10 (21 April, Lecture 9): The materiality of digital infrastructure  – Julien Wacquez, a guest lecture

Week 11 (28 April, Lecture 10): Digital Media and Religious Communities – Alessandro Testa, a guest lecture

Week 12 (5 May, Seminar 2): Discussing final essay outlines

Week 13 (12 May): Rector’s Day 

 
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