SOCI 670: Social Networks, New Media, and Inequality
SOCI 670-001: New Media/Social Inequality
(Spring 2018)
07:20 PM to 10:00 PM W
Enterprise Hall 420A
Section Information for Spring 2018
In this class students will examine the Internet and other new forms of communication and information technology from a sociological perspective. This examination will take a particular focus on inequality and the manner in which technologies mitigate or exacerbate—transform or reproduce—existing and new forms of inequality. The semester will begin with a critical reading and discussion of The Internet and Social Inequalities (Witte and Mannon, 2010), particularly with an eye to theoretical and empirical sociological aspects of the relationship between technology and inequality. The second part of the semester will focus on Rainie and Wellman’s book, Networked, The New Social Operating System (2012), which focuses on digital social networks as an increasingly important organizing framework in contemporary society. The final third of the semester will emphasize the empirical study of such networks and the extent to which they challenge or recreate structures of inequality. Primary reading for this section will come from Hansen, Schneiderman, and Smith, Analyzing Social Media Networks with NodeXL: Insights from a Connected World (2011). Students will be evaluated on their participation in class discussion, including co-leading a discussion segment in the final third of the semester. Students will also be evaluated on a written project with an oral class presentation. The project/presentation may be of several types including but not limited to: 1) a literature review using new sources to engage or elaborate upon the arguments raised in the readings, 2) an empirical paper using data from the Pew Internet & American Life project to consider particular aspects of the relationship between the Internet (or related technologies) and inequality, 3) an empirical study of digital social networks using NodeXL. These projects should be in-depth and specific enough so that they could serve as the basis for a Master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation proposal.
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Course Information from the University Catalog
Credits: 3
Enrollment limited to students with a class of Advanced to Candidacy, Graduate, Junior Plus, Non-Degree or Senior Plus.
Enrollment is limited to Graduate, Non-Degree or Undergraduate level students.
Students in a Non-Degree Undergraduate degree may not enroll.
This course is graded on the Graduate Regular scale.
The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.
