[Air-L] summer school (BA level) in "Digital Living" by Annette Markham

[Annette Markham]

Dear Colleagues,

I'm offering a summer school at Aarhus University this summer.  If you have
Bachelor level students who are interested in this course, they're welcome!


Basically (and I'll send info about this to the list in a couple of weeks),
I'm using this summer school as advertising & promotion to recruit students
to our new international Masters Programme in Digital Living here at the
Information Studies department at Aarhus University.

The summer school is July 15-Aug 13, a perfect time of year in Northern
Denmark!  Text details below, as well as here:
http://kursuskatalog.au.dk/en/coursecatalog/Course/show/49690/

Send any queries directly to Annette at imvam at hum.au.dk

Spend a month in Denmark, studying issues and concerns about "digital
living" Attitudes about social media and the forms of social life that
emerge with them range from enthusiastic to suspicious. Scholars discuss
the issues in different ways.  On the one hand, we benefit greatly from our
connection to technologies.  People can experiment with new personae, new
social communities. We have access to more information than ever before,
which allows us to acquire more in-depth knowledge, if we seek it out.  On
the other hand, the "always on" state of the mobile internet (smart phones,
e.g.) plus the rise of social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter, e.g.)
prompts many critiques.  Are we better off? What happens when our everyday
activities via the internet are under surveillance? How do the algorithms
of Google influence what we are exposed to? The course will take up these
questions and issues. Students will read contributions from internationally
leading scholars in order to investigate 'digital living' and the
opportunities and challenges that come with social media and the internet.
InstructorAnnette Markham, PhD
Associate Professor, Information Studies, Aarhus University, DenmarkHours -
weeks - periodsJuly 16th - August 13th (exam included)Academic prerequisitesAny
student with interest in this topic is welcome.  The reading is advanced,
so students should be prepared to grapple with interesting, but complex,
topics.  All readings are in English. Course is targeted to students who
want to grapple with the complexity of contemporary experience, which
involves the tangled intersections of media, technologies, humans, and
devices.Themes

The course is divided into five sub-themes. In each, course participants
will learn about and discuss key issues, concepts, and concerns. We will
address cutting edge questions. Since there are no universally agreed upon
answers to these questions, participants will not gain answers, but will
gain a range of perspectives about how to continue to address these issues
after they leave the course.

   1. *Identity/Relationships*:  What does the concept of identity mean in
   the digital age? Do we have a single identity? Or do we cycle though
   various personalities in our everyday lives? How do contemporary enactments
   of identity influence personal and professional relationships?
   2. *Privacy/Surveillance: *Is privacy disappearing or are we
   reconfiguring the concept to suit the way we think about our actions in
   increasingly public digital spheres? How does surveillance fit into this
   discussion, whether it's from outside forces or inside motivations
   (self-surveillance, self-quantification)
   3. *Smart Devices, Smart Cities, and Smart Mobs:*  How does the concept
   of "smart" blur with information and connectivity in modern discourses?
   What impact does this have on how we think about ourselves in relation to
   our devices and the spaces/places around us?
   4. *Time/Space:*  How has the internet shifted our understanding of time
   and space? How do we enact identities differently in networked culture? How
   have relationships and workplaces or worktimes changed?
   5. *Remix(ing) culture:* How do current practices of sharing and
   collaboration provide the potential for new cultural formations? How does
   the concept and practice of remix challenge current legal and ethical
   considerations of copyright and piracy?

Forms of instruction

The course will be a combination of lectures, discussions, assignments, and
exercises in various digital or physical field contexts. Primary
instruction by social media and internet research scholar Dr. Annette
Markham.
 Exam details

Grading: Internal co-examination

Assessment: 7-point grading scale

Notes:

Exam comprised of four short essays, completed throughout the summer
school.  Assignments accompany each sub-theme and will be evaluated.
Students must complete 4 out of the 5 total assignments in order to pass
the course.  They may also submit all five assignments -their lowest score
will be dropped from the final evaluation.  All assignments are graded
equally (each is worth 25% of the final grade)




*****************************************************
Annette N. Markham, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Aesthetics & Communication, Aarhus
University
Guest Professor, Department of Informatics, Umeå University, Sweden
Affiliate Professor, School of Communication, Loyola University, Chicago
amarkham at gmail.com
http://markham.internetinquiry.org/
Twitter: annettemarkham