Class Political Sphere and Social Media

The course Public Sphere and Social Media aims, on the one hand, to present several ways in which new information and communication technologies (ICT) and digital platforms can contribute to the reconfiguration of the political space in contemporary societies, articulating political concepts, communication practices in a digital environment and their impacts on the dynamics of competition, protest and political influence. On the other hand, this course aims to raise awareness among students about the promotion of media literacy, reinforcing their skills and providing tools for critically analysing the impacts and challenges of social media for democracy in the 21st century.

Not applicable

I. Conceptual dimensions 1.1 Politics, public sphere, and social networks 1.2 New political culture and new spaces for politicisation   II. The transformative power of social networks 2.1 Media systems and the transformation of the concept of democracy in the digital age 2.2 Transforming the (internal and external) communication of political institutions 2.3 Election campaigns and the impact of COVID-19. 2.4 The transition from offline to online and the candidates' appeals in an unmediated context   III. Media literacy and democracy in the 21st century 3.1 Social networks, manipulation, disinformation and fake news 3.2 Political participation, preferences, collective action and racial discrimination in the 4.0 era

In addition to the sessions dedicated to providing students with the key concepts and theoretical framework specific to this course Political Sphere and Social Networks, this course adopts a mixed teaching-learning approach - TBL (team based learning) and PBL (project based learning). Through the formation of working groups, students are encouraged to develop group projects and/or activities, in which they are guided by the lecturer to (1) define goals, strategies and deadlines, (2) practise negotiation, debate and reflect on the problems proposed, (3) critically evaluate and present the results clearly. With a focus on group presentations, critical discussion of academic papers and written work, students are placed at the centre of the learning process.

Coleman, S., & Freelon, D. (2015). Introduction: Conceptualizing Digital Politics. In Coleman, S., & Freelon, D. (Eds.). Handbook of Digital Politics (pp. 1-14). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Feezell, J. T. (2018). Agenda setting through social media: The importance of incidental news exposure and social filtering in the digital era. Political Research Quarterly, 71(2), 482-494. Santana-Pereira, J., Ferrinho Lopes, H., & Nina, S. R. (2023). Sailing Uncharted Waters with Old Boats? COVID-19 and the Digitalization and Professionalization of Presidential Campaigns in Portugal. Social Sciences , 12(1), 45. Gibson, R. K., & McAllister, I. (2015). Normalising or equalising party competition? Assessing the impact of the web on election campaigning. Political studies , 63(3), 529-547.