Mobilizing Digital Communication for the Public Good

From the personal to the political, digital and online media have changed the nature of how people engage with one another and the communication structures of public affairs. In this course, students will explore how digital media are affecting people, organizations, movements, and societies. Focusing on the effectiveness and ethics of digital and online media practices, students will engage in collaborative work and research/applied projects that examine how to use digital communication strategically to create social changes; how peoples’ identities, media habits, and ways of relating have been affected by such platforms; and what their architectures do to promote or hinder better social worlds and futures. This course also examines how social movements are built and what makes them successful, with a focus on how digital technologies, or Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), influence movement building. Open to Austin W. Marxe School of Public and International Affairs students; others with Marxe School permission.