How do new media and tech facilitate or challenge democracy, collaboration, and community building? The ambition of this course is to understand the historical and contemporary importance of media in creating communities.
Hone your critical media literacy and examine how both new and existing communities are imagined, constructed, and represented in online media and tech. The course also focuses on the controversy of surveillance, privacy, and the dark side of the web.
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.
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.
Maya Lahav
PhD Criminology, Oxford University, Currently MSc Criminology & Criminal Justice, Oxford University 2021 MSc International Relations, Edinburgh University, 2020 BSc Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, 2019. Head of Section of Cyber- and Information Security, Danish Ministry of Defence, 2024-2025 Team Lead of Human Trafficking Mitigation Team, ActiveFence, 2021-2024 Research Fellow, University College London, 2021 Commercial Project Manager, Pepperminds, 2013-2015. With DIS since 2025.
Long Study Tour
About this tour
The week-long Study Tour takes you to the vibrant city of London that up until the historic Brexit in 2020 was a part of the EU. London is a contrast to Copenhagen on so many parameters including the number of inhabitants that far exceeds the number of inhabitants in all of Denmark. This makes the city vibrant and a wonderful place to explore. We will people watch in the metro, visit a few of the city’s most iconic places, and investigate how a digitized world and a disrupted media market is affecting organizations and markets.
Learning outcomes
Reflect on your own dependence on new media forms and the practical, ethical, and social impact they have
Explore specific communities 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 British culture
Possible activities
Learn from how the Guardian has managed to thrive as a newspaper in a disrupted media market
Experience Wimbledon to see how media is a core part of their DNA
Visit the Danish Embassy in London and learn about nation branding and social media
Explore the Churchill War Rooms and discuss propaganda, old and new media, and how politicians’ use of media has changed over time
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
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
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 Jutland, 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 Jutland and the ways they use new media to preserve community values and transcend geographical borders
Discover new and innovative ways media is being used in Danish culture
Possible activities
Experience the limits, ethics, and aesthetics of the physical body in a digital world through art
Learn about how some of the challenges during the COVID crisis have been solved by welfare technology solutions like social media and health platforms, and contemplate the potential pitfalls
Learn about a unique Danish education (Chaos Pilots) and their collaboration with ReDI School – Berlin, that uses technology to break down barriers and connect the leaders of tomorrow
