The objective of the seminar New Media and Politics is to acquaint students with theoretical developments in the field of new media studies as well as to discuss key topics and practical implications of the use of new media in politics.
More specifically this seminar will focus on the use of new media on three different analytical levels. On the micro-level this course will discuss the political use of new media among citizens, apart from any organizational affiliation. On the meso-level, we will contrast the use of new media by conventional (political parties) and non-conventional (social movements) organizations. Here we will focus on election campaigns on the one hand, and contentious, protest activities on the other hand. Finally, on the macro-level, we will discuss questions of e-democracy and governmental use of new media. Here, differences in new media use across democracies and political cultures will be scrutinized.
The course will begin by introducing different definitions and theoretical approaches to new media studies. Special attention will be given to questions about how new media facilitate and expand the political repertoire and about the implications for the functioning of today's democratic systems. After this theoretical introduction, several practical examples and case-studies will be discussed.
J. Van Laer
