Democracy and Media

Catalog description

Everyday, you have the opportunity to choose democracy. When we think of democracy, we usually think of a form of government: a representational democracy like the United States. But, the experience of participating in a representational democracy is not always democratic. Conversely, companies and colleges like Olin are not organized as democracies, and yet the people that work and study there have many opportunities to practice democracy. Democracy is something you, and those around you, can choose to create and practice. To achieve this, we must acknowledge that democracy is contextual and mediated. Dimensions such as gender, race, class, ideology, norms, economics, and institutional power all affect the political standing of citizens and issues. Media, too, has long shaped the experience of democracy: debate, writing, voting, and petitioning are ancient technologies. The design and use of contemporary information and communication technology dramatically shape how democracy plays out. This course will ask you to confront this tangle of interests, identity, technology, and power. We will ask ourselves the quintessential civic question: "What should we do?" and consider "What is my role and responsibility as a citizen? as an engineer? as a member of the Olin community?" You will explore ways to make the spaces you live and work in more democratic. You will practice using your voice and influence to make change through public narrative, collective action, and media.