Dear Colleagues, I'm offering a summer school at Aarhus University this summer. If you have Bachelor level students who are interested in this course, they're welcome! Basically (and I'll send info about this to the list in a couple of weeks), I'm using this summer school as advertising & promotion to recruit students to our new international Masters Programme in Digital Living here at the Information Studies department at Aarhus University. The summer school is July 15-Aug 13, a perfect time of year in Northern Denmark! Text details below, as well as here: http://kursuskatalog.au.dk/en/coursecatalog/Course/show/49690/ Send any queries directly to Annette at imvam@hum.au.dk Spend a month in Denmark, studying issues and concerns about "digital living" Attitudes about social media and the forms of social life that emerge with them range from enthusiastic to suspicious. Scholars discuss the issues in different ways. On the one hand, we benefit greatly from our connection to technologies. People can experiment with new personae, new social communities. We have access to more information than ever before, which allows us to acquire more in-depth knowledge, if we seek it out. On the other hand, the "always on" state of the mobile internet (smart phones, e.g.) plus the rise of social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter, e.g.) prompts many critiques. Are we better off? What happens when our everyday activities via the internet are under surveillance? How do the algorithms of Google influence what we are exposed to? The course will take up these questions and issues. Students will read contributions from internationally leading scholars in order to investigate 'digital living' and the opportunities and challenges that come with social media and the internet. InstructorAnnette Markham, PhD Associate Professor, Information Studies, Aarhus University, DenmarkHours - weeks - periodsJuly 16th - August 13th (exam included)Academic prerequisitesAny student with interest in this topic is welcome. The reading is advanced, so students should be prepared to grapple with interesting, but complex, topics. All readings are in English. Course is targeted to students who want to grapple with the complexity of contemporary experience, which involves the tangled intersections of media, technologies, humans, and devices.Themes The course is divided into five sub-themes. In each, course participants will learn about and discuss key issues, concepts, and concerns. We will address cutting edge questions. Since there are no universally agreed upon answers to these questions, participants will not gain answers, but will gain a range of perspectives about how to continue to address these issues after they leave the course. 1. *Identity/Relationships*: What does the concept of identity mean in the digital age? Do we have a single identity? Or do we cycle though various personalities in our everyday lives? How do contemporary enactments of identity influence personal and professional relationships? 2. *Privacy/Surveillance: *Is privacy disappearing or are we reconfiguring the concept to suit the way we think about our actions in increasingly public digital spheres? How does surveillance fit into this discussion, whether it's from outside forces or inside motivations (self-surveillance, self-quantification) 3. *Smart Devices, Smart Cities, and Smart Mobs:* How does the concept of "smart" blur with information and connectivity in modern discourses? What impact does this have on how we think about ourselves in relation to our devices and the spaces/places around us? 4. *Time/Space:* How has the internet shifted our understanding of time and space? How do we enact identities differently in networked culture? How have relationships and workplaces or worktimes changed? 5. *Remix(ing) culture:* How do current practices of sharing and collaboration provide the potential for new cultural formations? How does the concept and practice of remix challenge current legal and ethical considerations of copyright and piracy? Forms of instruction The course will be a combination of lectures, discussions, assignments, and exercises in various digital or physical field contexts. Primary instruction by social media and internet research scholar Dr. Annette Markham. Exam details Grading: Internal co-examination Assessment: 7-point grading scale Notes: Exam comprised of four short essays, completed throughout the summer school. Assignments accompany each sub-theme and will be evaluated. Students must complete 4 out of the 5 total assignments in order to pass the course. They may also submit all five assignments -their lowest score will be dropped from the final evaluation. All assignments are graded equally (each is worth 25% of the final grade) ***************************************************** Annette N. Markham, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Aesthetics & Communication, Aarhus University Guest Professor, Department of Informatics, Umeå University, Sweden Affiliate Professor, School of Communication, Loyola University, Chicago amarkham@gmail.com http://markham.internetinquiry.org/ Twitter: annettemarkham