| NEW MEDIA | |||||
| Bachelor | TR-NQF-HE: Level 6 | QF-EHEA: First Cycle | EQF-LLL: Level 6 | ||
| Course Code | Course Name | Semester | Theoretical | Practical | Credit | ECTS |
| NMD2908 | Digital Culture and Media | Spring | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Language of instruction: | English |
| Type of course: | Must Course |
| Course Level: | Bachelor’s Degree (First Cycle) |
| Mode of Delivery: | Face to face |
| Course Coordinator : | Assist. Prof. MELİS ÖZBEK |
| Course Lecturer(s): |
Assist. Prof. SİNAN AŞÇI |
| Recommended Optional Program Components: | None. |
| Course Objectives: | This course explores the evolving relationship between culture, media, and technology, focusing on the impact of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic systems on cultural production, identity formation, and power structures. Through a combination of theoretical readings, critical discussions, and hands-on practical work, students will engage with key concepts in cultural studies, media theory, and the political economy of digital media. The course examines topics such as the culture industry, ideology, hegemony, digital identities, race, gender, AI-generated content, and platform politics. Students will develop analytical and methodological skills to assess digital media's role in shaping contemporary discourse, with an emphasis on emerging issues like misinformation, online discrimination, and algorithmic bias. Practical components include digital methods such as web scraping, data visualization, and AI-generated media analysis. In this course, students are expected to join group discussions, prepare and present case studies. Therefore, presentations, readings, and discussions are the key performance tasks to let the students demonstrate their understanding and achievement in the above areas. Teaching methods of the course: lecture, readings, exams, group presentations, discussions, case studies, practical works, assignments |
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The students who have succeeded in this course; At the completion of the NMD2908 course, students will be able to: • define key concepts related to digital culture, new media, and identity, including culture, ideology, hegemony, identity politics, and representation; • analyze digital culture and media artifacts using cultural theories, including concepts from the Frankfurt School, identity studies, and political economy of new media; • examine the role of media industries, technology, and artificial intelligence in shaping cultural identities and power structures; • critically assess the impact of media and digital platforms on identity, race, gender, and cultural representation; • evaluate how digital tools, algorithms, and AI influence contemporary cultural discourse and online interactions; • assess the ethical implications of digital technologies, AI-generated content, and online discrimination; • discuss the role of platforms, Big Tech, and digital capitalism in shaping media consumption and public discourse; • develop AI-generated cultural representations and critically reflect on their implications; • design and conduct digital culture research using digital methods such as web scraping and data visualization; • present findings through group projects, applying theoretical frameworks to real-world digital media examples. |
| This course explores the evolving relationship between culture, media, and technology, focusing on the impact of digitalization, artificial intelligence, and algorithmic systems on cultural production, identity formation, and power structures. Through a combination of theoretical readings, critical discussions, and hands-on practical work, students will engage with key concepts in cultural studies, media theory, and the political economy of digital media. The course examines topics such as the culture industry, ideology, hegemony, digital identities, race, gender, AI-generated content, and platform politics. |
| Week | Subject | Related Preparation |
| 1) | An overview of the course’s content, objectives, learning methods, and tips for academic reading | |
| 2) | Kültürün Tanımları ve Kavramları | Easthope, A., & McGowan, K., pp. 33-42 & 94-102 Bennett et al (2013): culture; ideology; power. Hartley (2012): hegemony; interpellation; cultural studies. Gere, C. (2002). Digital Culture. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. (Introduction & Chapter 1) |
| 3) | Culture industry and media | Adorno, T. and Horkheimer, M (1947/2002). The Culture Industry Enlightenment as Mass Deception. Bennett et al (2013): industry; commodity; capitalism; consumption; elite; mass media. Hartley (2012): culture; Frankfurt School; cultural capital; ideology, hegemony, culture |
| 4) | Cultural Movements in History | Hartley (2012). Convergence; games (computer/video); streaming NFTs Are Fueling a Boom in Digital Art. Here’s How They Work | WSJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpROwouRo_M The problem with AI-generated art | Steven Zapata | TEDxBerkeley https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exuogrLHyxQ |
| 5) | Cultural Identities I: Psychoanalytic aspects on identity | Bennet et al (2013): Identity; other; self. Easthrope & McGowan (2004). pp. 77 - 87. Hartley (2012): Identity politics. |
| 6) | Cultural Identities II: Ethnicity and race | Bennet et al (2013): Ethnicity; multiculturalism; race. Easthrope & McGowan (2004). 191-197. |
| 7) | Gender and digital media | Bennet et al (2013): Feminism; gender. Easthrope & McGowan (2004). 51-55; 102-108; 157-177; 191-197. |
| 8) | Midterm | |
| 9) | Digital culture in the new media age: Big Tech, algorithms, AI | Fuchs, C. (2023). The Political Economy of the Internet and Digital Media. IN: Media, Economy and Society: A Critical Introduction. Taylor & Francis. pp.321-332. Gillespie, T. (2010). The politics of ‘platforms’. New media & society, 12(3), 347-364. How a handful of tech companies control billions of minds every day | Tristan Harris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C74amJRp730&list=PLUks-hLYMOHyIU2QvOKyoLjD_6vHJfvfW&index=11 Hartley (2012). Cultural capital; intellectual property. |
| 11) | Discrimination in the digital age | Balibar, E. (2007). Is there a ‘neo-racism’?. Race and racialization: Essential readings, 83. Bennet et al (2013): Difference; other. Hartley (2012): difference; nation; Orientalism; propaganda; representation; stereotype. |
| 12) | Digital Methods in Cultural Analysis | Bennett et al (2013): Discourse; representation; sign. Hall, Representation, 1997, pp. 223-291 Hartley (2012): bias; myth, semiotics/semiology |
| 13) | Group Presentations on Digital Culture and AI | |
| 14) | Overview of the semester |
| Course Notes / Textbooks: | Bennett, T., Grossberg, L., & Morris, M. (Eds.). (2013). New keywords: A revised vocabulary of culture and society. John Wiley & Sons. Easthope, A., & McGowan, K. (Eds.). (2004). A critical and cultural theory reader. University of Toronto Press Hartley, J. (2012). Communication, cultural and media studies: The key concepts. Routledge. Additional articles, videos and podcasts will be provided by the instructor in the Resources tab of Itslearning. |
| References: | Bennett, T., Grossberg, L., & Morris, M. (Eds.). (2013). New keywords: A revised vocabulary of culture and society. John Wiley & Sons. Easthope, A., & McGowan, K. (Eds.). (2004). A critical and cultural theory reader. University of Toronto Press Hartley, J. (2012). Communication, cultural and media studies: The key concepts. Routledge. Additional articles, videos and podcasts will be provided by the instructor in the Resources tab of Itslearning. |
| Semester Requirements | Number of Activities | Level of Contribution |
| Quizzes | 2 | % 10 |
| Homework Assignments | 2 | % 20 |
| Midterms | 1 | % 30 |
| Final | 1 | % 40 |
| Total | % 100 | |
| PERCENTAGE OF SEMESTER WORK | % 60 | |
| PERCENTAGE OF FINAL WORK | % 40 | |
| Total | % 100 | |
| Activities | Number of Activities | Duration (Hours) | Workload |
| Course Hours | 13 | 3 | 39 |
| Application | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| Study Hours Out of Class | 14 | 8 | 112 |
| Presentations / Seminar | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Homework Assignments | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Quizzes | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Midterms | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Total Workload | 169 | ||
| No Effect | 1 Lowest | 2 Low | 3 Average | 4 High | 5 Highest |
| Program Outcomes | Level of Contribution | |
| 1) | To be able to critically interpret and discuss the theories, the concepts, the traditions, and the developments in the history of thought which are fundamental for the field of new media, journalism and communication. | 5 |
| 2) | To be able to attain written, oral and visual knowledge about technical equipment and software used in the process of news and the content production in new media, and to be able to acquire effective abilities to use them on a professional level. | 1 |
| 3) | To be able to get information about the institutional agents and generally about the sector operating in the field of new media, journalism and communication, and to be able to critically evaluate them. | 2 |
| 4) | To be able to comprehend the reactions of the readers, the listeners, the audiences and the users to the changing roles of media environments, and to be able to provide and circulate an original contents for them and to predict future trends. | 3 |
| 5) | To be able to apprehend the basic theories, the concepts and the thoughts related to neighbouring fields of new media and journalism in a critical manner. | 4 |
| 6) | To be able to grasp global and technological changes in the field of communication, and the relations due to with their effects on the local agents. | 2 |
| 7) | To be able to develop skills on gathering necessary data by using scientific methods, analyzing and circulating them in order to produce content. | 3 |
| 8) | To be able to develop acquired knowledge, skills and competence upon social aims by being legally and ethically responsible for a lifetime, and to be able to use them in order to provide social benefit. | 4 |
| 9) | To be able to operate collaborative projects with national/international colleagues in the field of new media, journalism and communication. | 3 |
| 10) | To be able to improve skills on creating works in various formats and which are qualified to be published on the prestigious national and international channels. | 1 |