Media, Culture, & Communication (MCC-SHU)

This course traces the historical transformation of media in post-reform China, from mass media to digital media, and examines the impact of shifting media landscapes on Chinese people’s everyday lives. We will explore questions including: how have media technologies and media practices been shifting in China since 1978? What is the relationship between media development, China’s political cultures, and global capitalism? How have traditional and new media mediated the public’s political engagement? How have digital media affected the lives of vulnerable and marginalized individuals and how have these groups changed media practices? This course will help students develop deeper understandings of Chinese media cultures and society in a global context. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: CORE IPC; GCS Chinese Media, Arts, and Literature; Social Science Major Focus Courses Sociology - 200 level/ Self-Designed/Media Studies - 200 level; (18-19 Humanities Major Digital Approaches Core Course).

This course provides a general overview of some of the key topics that constitute Chinese cyberculture. We focus specifically on four main areas: censorship and netizens; the companies which dominate the online economy; the history and development of the electronic industry and game culture and Internet addiction. These topics are examined within the context of several overarching themes: technological determinism, protectionism, the nature of innovation and the increasingly intimate relationship of humans and machines. In addition, this course will guide students through the development of a research project on a related theme of their choosing. Fulfillment: CORE SSPC,