Course Information

About this course

This course explores how media technologies shape contemporary culture, communication, and social life. How are social media, artificial intelligence, platform cultures, and networked technologies reshaping the ways we express ourselves, connect with others, and engage in civic participation? How do they affect access to information, community formation, and our understandings of privacy, surveillance, truth, and the conditions for democracy?

Drawing on Scandinavian and European perspectives, students examine online communities, the impact of platforms and algorithms, digital activism, and questions of trust, privacy, and regulation. Through case studies, field studies, and guest speakers from relevant companies and organizations, the course connects academic perspectives with contemporary media practice, helping students develop critical media literacy and tools for analyzing the social possibilities, democratic tensions, and ethical challenges of emerging media.

Syllabus

Draft Syllabus

This is a draft syllabus. The final syllabus will be available here a few days prior to the new course’s first start date.

Go to syllabus

Course note

This course was originally called New Media and Changing Communities. Starting in Spring 2027, the course title will be Emerging Media and Digital Cultures.

Travel on Study Tour

You only take one Core Course per semester, and each Core Course includes two Study Tours: one Short Study Tour to a nearby destination for three days, and one Long Study Tour to another European country for six days.

Led by your faculty, Study Tours take you into real-world settings where you will apply what you’ve learned outside the classroom.

Check out the Study Tours for this course
Students sitting on the floor in a modern building, engaging in a group activity with papers and notebooks scattered around.

Faculty

Brendan Sweeney

Ph.D. (Political Science, National University of Ireland, Galway, 2005). Cand.mag. (Media Studies, University of Copenhagen, 1999). NCTJ Certificate in Journalism (Rathmines College of Journalism, Dublin, 1982). Worked as journalist for many years in different European countries. Information Officer and Project Manager, Danish Institute for Human Rights, 2007-2010. Teacher, International People’s College, 2010-2013. Published historical novel, Once in Another World (New Island, 2013). With DIS since 2013.

Long Study Tour

About this tour

Despite its peripheral location on the edge of Europe, Ireland hosts the European headquarters of major international tech companies such as Meta, Google, and Apple, and enjoys a native culture that is both global and deeply traditional in outlook. Dublin in particular provides the perfect setting to explore the challenges and opportunities that emerging digital media presents to modern societies.

Throughout the Study Tour, Dublin becomes our classroom as we visit relevant organizations, engage with local and global perspectives, and analyze how questions of platform power, trust, privacy, regulation, and democracy unfold in practice. We will meet experts on EU law and digital media, as well as specialists who track the influence of political extremists on social media in both the USA and Europe.

To further contextualize our studies, we also travel to Galway on Ireland’s stunningly beautiful Western coast. Galway, a major center of Irish folk-culture, allows us to experience the interaction of Ireland’s ancient Celtic traditions and language with digital media, international tourism, and globalization.

Learning outcomes

  • Reflect on your own participation in digital communities and the role emerging media play in shaping your understanding of those communities
  • Understand the ethical dilemmas raised by digital platforms, social media, and data-driven communication
  • Explore the role of international technology and media organizations in shaping online communities, public discourse, and civic participation in European societies

Possible activities

  • Visit representatives from Ireland’s most powerful media institutions to discuss EU media regulation, platform governance, future developments, and the ethical dilemmas of privately owned digital spaces
  • Meet with researchers of online communities to learn about the dynamics and dangers of digital culture in an Irish and international context
  • Meet with Irish journalists and politicians to understand the interaction between the media and Ireland’s political system
  • Visit media organizations that actively use social media platforms to create online communities promoting minority cultures such as the Irish language
  • Explore the intersection between traditional representations of Irish identity with its new manifestation under the influence of emerging digital media and big tech

Dublin, Ireland
Sweden

Short Study Tour

About this tour

Core Course Week, including short Study Tour, enhances the New Media and Changing Communities curriculum, as it allows you to experience how classroom theories are applied to various contexts. During a two-day seminar in Copenhagen and a three-day short study tour to Southern Sweden, you will interact and collaborate with local communities to see how they use new media in innovative ways.

Core Course Week is supplemented with cultural visits to help you learn more about Scandinavian history and culture, as well as give you a more well-rounded understanding of the communities in which you are studying.

Learning outcomes

  • Reflect on your own dependence on new media forms and the practical, ethical, and social impact they have
  • Explore specific communities in Sweden and the ways they use new media to preserve important community values and transcend geographical borders
  • Discover new and innovative ways media is being used in Swedish culture

Possible activities

  • Discuss with cultural and community groups about their media usage
  • Visit a communications company incubator campus
  • Visit Rambøll’s Headquarters