MEVIT4613 – Youth and New Media in Context - Bullying, Sexting, Digital Citizenship
Course description
Course content
Mandatory attendance—75% of both lectures & seminars.
This course is designed to provide students with an overview of major debates regarding youth and digital media: opportunities, risks and harm in context. Special attention will be given to the portrayals of children’s media use in public discourses and how research-based evidence can become distorted in media representations of the issue, sometimes resulting in “moral panic,” a concept of particular importance when referring to youth and media. We will critically examine the terms such as “new media” as well as “digital natives,” and while we will refer to the so-called “old media” (e.g. TV or radio) we will do so only in as much as it is necessary to introduce patterns of media use or overarching narratives in public representations of children’s interaction with technology. The instructor can provide further, optional readings for students who are specifically interested in the so-called “old media.” Furthermore, while the majority of the assigned readings will be focused on older children and adolescents (age 9-18), the instructor can provide further, non-compulsory readings for those interested in very young children. In addition to examining trends in digital media use (e.g. social media, games, apps etc.), how these play a role in engineering sociality and relationships as well as how they influence learning and leisure environments, we will analyze the concepts of bullying, sexting, online privacy and what it means to teach youth to become so-called “digital citizens.” “Digital citizenship” is a term that is increasingly employed by scholars and policy-makers in this arena, who also call on the academic and policy-making community to rethink what it means to respect children’s rights in digital environments globally. In relation to risk and harm, we will pay special attention to various regulatory measures and trends towards self-regulation and co-regulation internationally and what the implications of these are. Finally, throughout the course, students will learn about research theories and quantitative and qualitative methods used in the field of youth and media.
Learning outcome
Upon the completion of the course, you will be able to:
- Understand how young people interact with digital media and how these interactions shape their social relations, leisure and learning environments.
- Critically examine the nature and context of online opportunities and risks that youth can encounter online as well as the relationship between risks and harms, and the implications of these for policy and law.
- Apply research-based evidence to discuss the effectiveness of the current regulatory environments internationally.
- Critically analyze public debates around children’s digital media use and counter them with research-based evidence.
- Understand theories and methods used in studying youth and media and apply them to your own research.
- The goal of the term paper is to teach you to apply research-based evidence to emerging issues in the field and use this skill towards writing your MA thesis and future research projects that you might undertake.
- In addition to its academic orientation the course is also designed to provide you with the ability to apply your skills in non-academic environments and will meet the needs of those students who want to continue their careers in government and policy-making circles, non-governmental sector or technology industry and consulting.
- Improving argumentative writing and presentation skills in English through writing and presentation exercises that require critical thinking on an assigned topic.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
Admission to a master's programmet, with a Bachelor?s Degree in Media Studies or equivalent.
Prerequisites
Formal prerequisite knowledge
Recommended previous knowledge
Overlapping courses
Teaching
In this course the students are obliged to complete 4 qualification assignments:
- Students will need to write two (2) qualifying one-page position papers (between 400 and 500 words each) based on assigned readings. The papers will be due in the 2nd and the 3rd seminar meeting, respectively. The topics for these position papers as well as the instructions on how to write them are written on the syllabus.
- In addition, students will also prepare a short, 3-5 minute presentation (power point, prezi or some other tool - maximum of 5 slides, 1 minute per slide), which they will present in the 4th week of the class, and which they will use to present their plans for the term paper to the lecturer and other students.
- Finally, students will prepare 3 questions for each of the guest lecturers and share them with the lecturer and other classmates by posting them to Canvas. These are designed to allow you to think through the readings ahead of the lecture, and to capitalize on your time with the guest lecturer, ensuring a meaningful debate where everyone is engaged.
Detailed information about the qualification assignments can be found in the semester page.
The qualifying assingments will be evaluated as passed or not passed. The students need to pass the assignments in order to submit the term paper/exam at the end of the semester.
You have to participate in at least 75 % of the teaching to be allowed to take the exam. Attendance will be registered.
Access to teaching
Examination
Students will write one ten-page term paper on a topic of their choice. This term paper will be graded on a scale of A-F. The instructor will provide detailed instructions on what constitutes an “A” paper in the very beginning of the course. In addition to this term paper, there will be two pre-qualifying assignments.
- Students will prepare a short, three to five-minute presentation (power point, prezi or some other tool are all welcome-maximum of 5 slides, 1 minute per slide), which they will present in the fourth week of the class and which they will use to present to me and other students their plans for the term paper. This presentation is a prerequisite for course evaluation. In other words, you will not be able to complete the term paper unless you complete this presentation requirement.
- Students will prepare three questions for the guest lecturer and share them with the instructor and other classmates by posting them to Canvas These are designed to allow you to think through the readings ahead of the lecture and to capitalize on your time with the guest lecturer, ensuring a meaningful debate where everyone is engaged.
Use of sources and citation
You should familiarize yourself with the rules that apply to the use of sources and citations. If you violate the rules, you may be suspected of cheating/attempted cheating.
Examination support material
Language of examination
The examination text is given in English, and you submit your response in English.
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.
The instructor will provide detailed instructions on what constitutes an “A” paper in the very beginning of the course.
Explanations and appeals
Resit an examination
Withdrawal from an examination
It is possible to take the exam up to 3 times. If you withdraw from the exam after the deadline or during the exam, this will be counted as an examination attempt.
Special examination arrangements
Application form, deadline and requirements for special examination arrangements.
Evaluation
The course is subject to continuous evaluation. At regular intervals we also ask students to participate in a more comprehensive evaluation.
Periodisk emneevaluering v?ren 2007 (only in Norwegian)
Periodisk emneevaluering v?ren 2012 (only in Norwegian)
Periodisk emneevaluering v?ren 2016 / Course evaluation spring 2016