FS30280 Digital Media Activism

Academic Year 2022/2023

From sites like Right To Be (formerly Hollaback!) and Everyday Sexism which document instances of street harassment and misogyny, to social media-organized movements and communities like #MeToo and #BeenRapedNeverReported, feminists are using participatory digital media as activist tools to speak, network, and organize against sexism, misogyny, and rape culture. While global media has mostly amplified Western feminist activism, this module examines some of the creative, subversive, and "hidden" practices of women in the Global South. It analyses specific ways that women in Africa, Asia, the Middle-East and Latin America harness the power of digital technologies for feminist consciousness-raising, mobilization, and promoting campaigns around sexism, misogyny, and rape culture. We will explore transformative hashtag campaigns such as #BringBackOurGirls, #JusticeforLiz, #DelhiRape and #MenAreTrash. Students will develop an understanding of how digital platforms and affordances facilitate social justice campaigns while also sustaining pre-existing power dynamics and creating ‘new’ forms of exclusion defined by the speed, frequency, scope, and access to digital communication.

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Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

- Demonstrate an understanding of the objectives, stakes, and tactics of media activism in digital culture

- Demonstrate a strong theoretical grasp of the political-economic and social contexts into which media activism intervenes and their relation to activist practices

- Demonstrate knowledge of the history of digital media activism and of the impact of technological change on approaches to organising

- Develop knowledge and skills of key research approaches in studying feminist digital activism

Indicative Module Content:

Introduction to activism in the information age
Historical and theoretical development of digital activism
Feminist digital activism
Critically reviewing studies on digital activism
Cultural politics and digital activism
Challenging rape, sexual violence and harassment online
Digital activism and authoritarian regimes
Transnational activism and hashtag politics
Activism, representation and inequalities
Research methods and approaches in feminist digital activism
The future of feminist digital activism

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

20
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

80
Total

200
Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Class discussion
Reflective learning
Engaged and critical reading
In-class peer/group activities
Social media use and engagement 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Essay: Essay: 2000-2500 word essay based on the concepts, issues and theoretical frameworks covered over the course of the module. Coursework (End of Trimester) n/a Graded Yes

50
Assignment: Students to present individually for 10 mins in one of the seminars. The presentation must focus on an essential piece of literature, class discussion or a case study. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded Yes

20
Assignment: Critical review of a text: 1000 word limit. The specific focus will be on how the text is positioned in relation to the ‘theoretical field’ – an idea that will be discussed further in the lectures. Throughout the Trimester n/a Graded Yes

30

Carry forward of passed components
No
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.