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COSM35: Digital East and South-East Asia - Cultural, Social and Political Transformations

East and Southeast Asia have the largest Internet population in the world in absolute numbers. It is also at the forefront of digital developments in many fields, including entertainment, e-commerce, artificial intelligence and big data. The region encompasses a diverse digital landscape that reflects divergent histories, cultures, and socioeconomic and political realities. In this course, we study how individuals, civil society organizations, and political leaders and organizations make use of different platforms such as social media. We also explore threats to privacy and issues of surveillance.

In this course you study and analyse the use of different types of information and communication technologies (e.g. the internet, social media, mobile phones and apps) in light of the different social, economic and political systems and developments in East and South-East Asia. You also analyse local development from the point of view of regional and global trends and processes.

In the course we highlight the different concepts, theories and methods that are used to study digital developments and different platforms. This means that the course is based on different disciplines, such as media and communication studies, cultural studies, anthropology, political science and area studies, while adopting an interdisciplinary perspective.

We focus on different topics that take into account factors such as gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status and age. You are encouraged to apply theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired from the required reading to individually selected case studies that highlight the use of different types of digital platforms among individuals and groups in different countries.

In the course we address the following topics:

  • processes of identity formation and socialisation through, for example, blogging, gaming and the use of social media
  • the impact of information and communication technologies on the emergence of new social networks and groups, e.g. special interest groups, civil society and citizen journalists
  • social and political activities, for example how political leaders and political parties use different platforms and how new popular movements adopt them
  • new methods and ethnographic approaches as a result of digital developments

 

Course not given fall 2024

COSM35 information

Course code: COSM35
Credits: 7.5 ECTS credits
Cycle: Second Cycle 
Language of instruction: English
Study venue: Lund
Rate of study: Full time (100%)
Entry requirements: To be eligible to the course, the students must have a Bachelor's degree in social sciences or humanities. Oral and written language proficiency in English equivalent to English 6/B from Swedish upper secondary school is a requirement.