Media & Community

An analysis of the roles of culture, technology, and communication in defining, sustaining, and transforming community. We begin with a series of theoretical discussions on the relationship between communication and community, media ecology and human ecology, media technology, transportation, and human communication patterns in the urban and suburban environments, as well as place-bound community and virtual community. We will offer case studies of communities that have been created, sustained, and shaped by traditional mass media and new media technologies such as mobile communication, the Internet, and social networking. We will also consider the social, economic, political, and legal/regulatory dimensions of these communities. This course aims to foster students' ability to articulate, discuss, and analyze theories in community studies as well as issues relating to the social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, and legal/regulatory ramifications of communication media's impact on communities of various kinds.