CULS5217 Digital Culture and Society
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CULS5217 Digital Culture and Society
Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Academic Year: Term 2, 2020/21
Instructor: Prof. Benny LIM (bennylim@cuhk.edu.hk)
Tutor: TO BE CONFIRMED
Every Friday; 2.30pm to 5.15pm
Fung King Hey Building Swire Hall 1
Note:
The course may eventually be conducted online or via mixed mode,
subjected to the directives from the university
The course is taught in EnglishCourse Information and Learning Outcomes
The course focuses on how the advent of the digital age (or the information age) has
brought about categorical changes in the everyday life, media, social and personal
expressions, and cultural production. Yet, traditional media continues to exist, and
interacts with the evolving digital technologies. Grounded within the context of
Cultural Studies, students will be exposed to a number of topics from both theoretical
and practical approaches and encouraged to relate these topics to Chinese-speaking
societies. The course is designed to zoom into specific topics of interest, and in the
process, equip students with some key theoretical and conceptual frameworks in
digital culture and society.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Understand and apply key concepts informing digital culture;
• Synthesize a range of ideas in explaining current sociocultural trends and
evolutions brought about by the information age;
• Evaluate the impacts of digital technologies in Chinese-speaking societies
Class Schedule
Week One – 8th January 2021
Course Introduction / Let’s talk about the Digital Age
Week Two – 15th January 2021
Social Media – Self and Labor
Week Three – 22nd January 2021
Traditional Media and Media Convergence
Week Four – 29th January 2021
Cultural Politics of Meme
Week Five – 5th February 2021
Men and their Bodies in the Digital Culture
Week Six – 12th February 2021
Happy Lunar New Year / 新年快樂 身體健康
Week Seven – 19th February 2021
LGBTQ in the Digital Age
Week Eight – 26th February 2021
Sex, Prostitution and Pornography on the NetWeek Nine – 5th March 2021 The State and Government and Disruptions in the Digital Age Week Ten – 12th March 2021 Participation and Online Activism Week Eleven – 19th March 2021 Journalism and Civil Society in the Information Age Week Twelve – 26th March 2021 Guest Speaker or Trip Week Thirteen – 2nd April 2021 Happy Good Friday Week Fourteen – 9th April 2021 Digitizing Memories Week Fifteen – 16th April 2021 Arts and Performances in the Digital Age Readings Barclay, D. A. (2018). Fake news, propaganda, and plain old lies: how to find trustworthy information in the digital age. Rowman & Littlefield. Berger, A. A. (2015). Gizmos Or: The Electronic Imperative: How Digital Devices Have Transformed American Character and Culture. Springer. Castells, M., & Cardoso, G. (Eds.). (2005). The network society: From knowledge to policy. Johns Hopkins Center for Transatlantic Relations. Cook, C., Herbst, S., Blumenthal, M., Keeter, S., & Greenberg, A. (2011). Political polling in the digital age: the challenge of measuring and understanding public opinion. LSU Press. Fenton, N. (2010). New media, old news: Journalism and democracy in the digital age. Sage Publications. Gerbaudo, P. (2019). The digital party: Political organisation and online democracy. Pluto Press. Hakim, J. (2019). Work That Body: Male Bodies in Digital Culture. Rowman & Littlefield International.
Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence culture: Where old and new media collide. NYU press. Lilley, S. (2013). Transhumanism and Society: the social debate over human enhancement. Springer Science & Business Media. Owen, T. (2015). Disruptive power: The crisis of the state in the digital age. Oxford University Press, USA. Pullen, C., & Cooper, M. (Eds.). (2010). LGBT identity and online new media. Routledge. Rosenfeld, K. (2015). Digital Online Culture, Identity, and Schooling in the Twenty- first Century. Springer. Schäfer, M. T. (2011). Bastard culture! How user participation transforms cultural production. Amsterdam University Press. Wiggins, B. E. (2019). The discursive power of memes in digital culture: Ideology, semiotics, and intertextuality. Routledge. Wohlers, T. E., & Bernier, L. L. (2016). Setting Sail into the Age of Digital Local Government. Springer. Additional readings will be uploaded on the blackboard. Assessments Class Participations 10% Paper Presentation 20% Group Project 30% Final Paper 40% CLASS PARTICIPATIONS (10%) Students will be assessed based on level of class participations and the quality of discussions. PAPER PRESENTATION (20%) Students will discuss a paper in pairs/small groups. Besides offering a summary of the paper, students should apply key takeaways of the paper into local/ Greater China sociocultural contexts.
List of papers:
- [Week 4] Iqani, M. (2019). Picturing luxury, producing value: The cultural labour
of social media brand influencers in South Africa. International Journal of
Cultural Studies, 22(2), 229-247.
- [Week 5] Rieger, D., & Klimmt, C. (2019). The daily dose of digital inspiration
2: Themes and affective user responses to meaningful memes in social media.
New Media & Society, 21(10), 2201-2221.
- [Week 7] Gbadegesin, V. O. (2020). Gender ideology and identity in humorous
social media memes. Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 35(3), 529-546.
- [Week 8] Yu, H., & Blain, H. (2019). Tongzhi on the move: digital/social media
and placemaking practices among young gay Chinese in Australia. Media
International Australia, 173(1), 66-80.
- [Week 9] Rand, H. M. (2019). Challenging the invisibility of sex work in digital
labour politics. Feminist Review, 123(1), 40-55.
- [Week 10] Jackson, S., & Wong, M. S. (2016). A cultural theory analysis of e-
government: Insights from a local government council in Malaysia. Information
Systems Frontiers, 19(6), 1391-1405.
- [Week 11] Neumayer, C., & Svensson, J. (2016). Activism and radical politics
in the digital age: Towards a typology. Convergence, 22(2), 131-146.
- [Week 14] Beel, D., & Wallace, C. (2020). Gathering together: Social capital,
cultural capital and the value of cultural heritage in a digital age. Social &
Cultural Geography, 21(5), 697-717.
25 minutes per team + Q&A
Presentation starts from Week Four.
GROUP PROJECT (30%)
Class will divide into 5 to 6 groups.
Based on the heading “Identities in the Digital Age”, each group is expected to
research into a specific topic. The outcomes of the research should be presented as
a documentary, a podcast, a conference presentation, a series of short videos, a
recorded performance, or any other creative means.
The project (in relevant formats) should be uploaded onto the Blackboard
(Discussion Board) by 2359hrs on the 9th April 2021
FINAL PAPER (40%)
This is an individual assignment. Students are expected to design and submit a
research paper based on one or a combination of the following broad topics:
- Social Media and Labor
- Media Convergence
- Government and politics in the Digital Age- Activism and Social Movements in the Digital Age
- Cultural (Re)Production in the Digital Age
The essay should be around 3000 words in English (4500 words in Chinese). Students
can submit the essays onto Veriguide anytime during the term so as long it is before
2359hrs of the 30th April 2021. Signed Veriguide forms should be emailed to the
instructor (and TA, if any).
Language wise, you can write in English or Chinese! However, I will prefer the
submission in English.
Honesty in Academic Work: A Guide for Students and Teachers
The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very high importance on honesty in academic
work submitted by students and adopts a policy of zero tolerance on cheating and plagiarism.
Any related offence will lead to disciplinary action including termination of studies at the
University. All student assignments in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes should
be submitted via VeriGuide with effect from September 2008:
http://veriguide1.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/portal/plagiarism_detection/index.jsp
Although cases of cheating or plagiarism are rare at the University, everyone should make
himself/herself familiar with the content of this website and thereby help avoid any practice
that would not be acceptable.
Section 1 What is plagiarism
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p01.htm
Section 2 Proper use of source material
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p02.htm
Section 3 Citation styles
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p03.htm
Section 4 Plagiarism and copyright violation
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p04.htm
Section 5 CUHK regulations on honesty in academic work
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p05.htm
Section 6 CUHK disciplinary guidelines and procedures
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p06.htm
Section 7 Guide for teachers and departments
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p07.htm
Section 8 Recommended material to be included in course outlines
http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p08.htmSection 9 Electronic submission of assignments via VeriGuide http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p09.htm Section 10 Declaration to be included in assignments http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/Eng_htm_files_(2013-14)/p10.htm
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