Studying at York
Understanding Social Media - SOC00003M
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
To critically explore the principal conceptual debates and socio-cultural approaches to understanding the latest generation of new media communications technologies described as social media.
Module learning outcomes
At the end of this module students will:
- be able to identify and critically analyse the key characteristics of contemporary new media such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Second Life, often collectively described as social media, social web or Web 2.0, within the context of debates about broader sets of socio-cultural transformations;
- be able to analyse recent case studies and examples to understand how social media are permeating a range of social institutions and practices;
- to be able to analyse and recognize cross-cultural differences and similarities in the use of social media;
- have an understanding of the social, economic, cultural and political factors shaping the design of social media and their diffusion in society;
- to be able to appreciate the ambiguous nature of the social media as both tools for surveillance and artefacts for social expression and creativity.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback on all work is provided in a variety of ways and you must make the most of all opportunities do
discuss your assessment and study progress:
1. After each open assessment you will receive feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of your
work. This will be available within 4 weeks of the submission deadline
2. You will meet with your supervisor twice a term and you should discuss any concerns that you
have and also present your assessment feedback for further comment
3. You will be asked to comment on the teaching of the modules and results will be discussed at
Teaching Committee
4. You will have five supervision meetings with your dissertation supervisor through the summer
months to enable you to discuss the different aspects of your work.
Indicative reading
These will be available on the module sites through the Yorkshare VLE. Most reading materials will be journals or book chapters which will be in pdf format. These can be downloaded and annotated on your work pc if you dont want the expense of printing.
Recommended books will be available in the library for reference only.