Social Media and Politics: Communication, Behaviour and Governance

What it is about

You engage with the role of social media in politics and society: how platforms change political participation, campaigns, media practices, and collective action – and which risks (trolling, misinformation, filter bubbles, polarization) they pose for democracies. In the end you can theoretically and empirically analyze these effects and work on your own research questions about social media and politics.

What you will be able to do

• Identify challenges and opportunities of social media for political communication and democracies
• Analyze possible consequences of changes in the political communication environment
• Understand theoretical and empirical approaches of political communication with a focus on social media
• Differentiate strategies of democratic and non-democratic regimes for controlling or using online discourse
• Demonstrate abilities in oral and written presentation of own research findings
• Design and conduct a complete research project on social media and politics

What the module consists of

• SeminarSeminar with active participation, discussions, student presentations and instructor input

Teaching method

• Seminar-style discussion and lectureEnables content introduction by instructors and active engagement by students
• Active learning methods (presentations, debates, case studies)To deepen theory through practical analysis and discussion of concrete examples
• Self-study (reading, preparation of questions and presentations)Basis for informed participation in discussions and for the creation of own research papers