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1 - 10 of 13 results for: COMM ; Currently searching summer courses. You can expand your search to include all quarters

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COMM 11SC: Deliberative Democracy in Theory and Practice: Deliberating the Issues that Divide Us and Beyond

American democracy is increasingly polarized and dysfunctional. Levels of public trust in the Congress and politicians are at virtually all-time lows, and so is the ability of members of different parties to work together in Washington, D.C., and in many state capitols, to find solutions to our major public policy problems. Much is written about the growing polarization of American society, yet public opinion polling suggests that the public is not as bitterly divided as the political class.
nOne perspective on the current crisis stresses the lack of opportunities for the American public to deliberate on key issues and challenges under good conditions - where they can receive balanced and informed briefings and talk with one another face to face, away from the glare of broadcast media and social networks that only reinforce their initial points of view. 'Good' conditions also provide trained moderators to encourage and ensure mutual respect for divergent points of view. When a represe more »
American democracy is increasingly polarized and dysfunctional. Levels of public trust in the Congress and politicians are at virtually all-time lows, and so is the ability of members of different parties to work together in Washington, D.C., and in many state capitols, to find solutions to our major public policy problems. Much is written about the growing polarization of American society, yet public opinion polling suggests that the public is not as bitterly divided as the political class.
nOne perspective on the current crisis stresses the lack of opportunities for the American public to deliberate on key issues and challenges under good conditions - where they can receive balanced and informed briefings and talk with one another face to face, away from the glare of broadcast media and social networks that only reinforce their initial points of view. 'Good' conditions also provide trained moderators to encourage and ensure mutual respect for divergent points of view. When a representative, random sample of a population - be it a city or an entire nation - is brought together in this way to deliberate, while being polled on their opinions before and after deliberation, new insights emerge about what decisions 'the people' collectively might come to if they could talk in one room together as fellow citizens. We call this innovative method of democratic dialogue and opinion formation 'Deliberative Polling.' It has been used over 100 times in over 30 countries to help register public opinion in a more democratic and constructive fashion.nThis course will first examine basic theory on deliberative democracy, with emphasis on the state of polarization in American democracy and the issues that appear to most bitterly divide the American public. Then it will study the method of Deliberative Polling and look at a number of specific instances where it has been applied to help inform public policy dialogue or decision-making. We will read studies evaluating applications of Deliberative Polling in cities and countries around the world. We will watch documentary films describing the experience with deliberative polls in several settings. We will examine in detail some of the statistical polling results from previous Deliberative Polls to determine whether and why (and to what extent) people change their opinions on policy issues as a result of the deliberative process. As hands-on experience, students will prepare briefing materials and surveys for an upcoming Deliberative Polling experiment that will be implemented by a cross-institutional deliberative democracy practicum course that is being led by Stanford's Center for Deliberative Democracy and the Haas Center for Public Service. They may also contribute to the planned state wide deliberation on the future of California. In addition, students will engage in their own deliberations using the Stanford Platform for Online Deliberation, which has been deployed around the world. Students will complete background reading over the summer and will write short papers during the course analyzing specific previous experiences with Deliberative Polling.
Terms: Sum | Units: 2
Instructors: Fishkin, J. (PI) ; Siu, A. (PI)

COMM 101S: History of YouTube

Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has become the second most visited website in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly users. It has influenced the worlds of entertainment, politics, and business alike. It has launched the careers of A-list celebrities while also creating an entirely new celebrity ecosystem. It has become a crucial political tool for presidential candidates and political subcultures alike. In the process, it has upended the entertainment industry and much of its business model. From the beginning, it has also been a source of controversy, raising questions about its role in promoting cyberbullying, radicalization, and harmful content.nnnThis course will provide an overview of the platform¿s cultural history. Drawing on communication studies, media theory, and science and technology studies, we will explore how the platform has evolved in its seventeen years of existence, and how it has influenced, and been influenced by, its cultural and social environment. Studen more »
Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has become the second most visited website in the world, with more than 1 billion monthly users. It has influenced the worlds of entertainment, politics, and business alike. It has launched the careers of A-list celebrities while also creating an entirely new celebrity ecosystem. It has become a crucial political tool for presidential candidates and political subcultures alike. In the process, it has upended the entertainment industry and much of its business model. From the beginning, it has also been a source of controversy, raising questions about its role in promoting cyberbullying, radicalization, and harmful content.nnnThis course will provide an overview of the platform¿s cultural history. Drawing on communication studies, media theory, and science and technology studies, we will explore how the platform has evolved in its seventeen years of existence, and how it has influenced, and been influenced by, its cultural and social environment. Students will be introduced to concepts such as participatory culture, microcelebrity, and platform politics. We will grapple with questions such as: how have YouTube¿s new technological features shaped the culture of the platform, and vice versa? How does community function on the platform, and how has that changed over time? And how have YouTube¿s content policies affected each of these dynamics? As we address these questions, we will come to grapple with the broader concerns of what it means to be a platform online and why a history of platforms matters.
Terms: Sum | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors: Lewis, R. (PI) ; Sarigul, A. (TA)

COMM 103S: Digital Media and Personalization

The rise of personalization technologies has disrupted domains ranging from political campaigns to fashion, with reverberating societal consequences. People who use digital media platforms leave behind a data trail that can be used to peer into their minds and make inferences about their psychological characteristics. These inferred psychological characteristics, in-turn, can be used to dynamically customize messages to individual users at a granular scale. Personalization technologies operate with the goal of maximizing persuasive appeal of messages by creating a psychological fit between mediated content and the characteristics of individual users. In this course, we will examine (1) the basic psychological mechanisms underlying personalization technologies, (2) the role played by big data and machine learning techniques in facilitating persuasion and (3) the ethical issues associated with the rise of modern-day personalization technologies. By combining a big data lens with socio-cognitive psychological research, we will understand how, why and when personalization technologies work. We will also spend time formulating the future of personalization technologies while considering the broader societal repercussions that might originate from their continued widespread adoption.
Terms: Sum | Units: 3

COMM 111S: Digital Media and Social Networks

Our social interactions and relationships are important. Who we communicate with, how we communicate, and the quantity and quality of our social relationships all have an impact on our psychological well-being. Today, many of our interactions and relationships play out online in digital media, like social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) and smartphones. In this course, we will explore (1) how communication behavior and social networks shape our lives online and offline, (2) the influence of personality and well-being on social life, and (3) social network approaches to studying interactions and relationships. By combining theory and research from communication and media psychology with social network analysis, we can understand how media platforms impact our psychological experiences and social environments. With communication technology playing an ever-increasing role in society, understanding how social interactions and relationships impact our lives has never been more critical.
Terms: Sum | Units: 3
Instructors: Roshanaei, M. (PI)

COMM 118S: Into the Metaverse: Designing the Future of Virtual Worlds

What will the future look like? One idea that is recently gaining attention is the Metaverse, a computer-generated simulation of a world in which people can meet and interact. In this course, students will critically evaluate the current landscape of such conceptualizations of virtual worlds. From the psychological and behavioral mechanisms of how people perceive virtual humans, to the design of virtual spaces and interactions, to the ethical considerations that shape how virtual worlds are regulated, this course will pull from multiple fields to provide a comprehensive understanding of virtual worlds. nnIn the first week, the instructor will distribute Oculus Quest 2 headsets for each student to use and return at the end of the quarter. Using these headsets, we will go on virtual field trips to social worlds. Through in-VR experiences, academic papers and articles, and discussions, students will develop a toolset to learn how to approach designing future virtual worlds.
Terms: Sum | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors: Han, E. (PI) ; Gibson, A. (TA) ; Lee, R. (TA)

COMM 195: Honors Thesis

Qualifies students to conduct communication research. Student must apply for department honors thesis program during Spring Quarter of junior year.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 5 | Repeatable 3 times (up to 15 units total)

COMM 199: Individual Work

For students with high academic standing. May be repeated for credit.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-5 | Repeatable for credit

COMM 290: Media Studies M.A. Project

Individual research for coterminal Media Studies students.
Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-2 | Repeatable 2 times (up to 4 units total)

COMM 299: Individual Work

Terms: Aut, Win, Spr, Sum | Units: 1-4 | Repeatable for credit

COMM 380: Curriculum Practical Training

Practical experience in the communication industries. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Meets requirements for Curricular Practical Training for students on F-1 visas. (Staff)
Terms: Sum | Units: 1-5 | Repeatable 4 times (up to 20 units total)
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