Course Syllabus

 Course Description

DIGITAL POWER: GENDER, MEDIA, AND PUBLIC POLICY. This course will address the ways gender has been rendered in the public sphere (media, social media, political sphere) in the technology era. The focus will be on the role of technology in influencing private-public perception and community engagement. The course investigates technology use in reproductive surveillance, the biometric border, violence & deepfakes,  privacy surveillance, predictive policing and environmental/server farms/data centers. 

This course will include the social construction of sex/gender, power, respect and examine style of gendered discourse in the current socio-political environment.  The course content will be fluid and reactive to current legislative, social, cultural, political and legal events and student interests.

 Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Review the nature and types of technology use in shaping attitudes and public policy.

Identify the major types of technology surveillance.

Examine the portrayals of gender in the metaverse, the media and popular culture.

Explore underlying gendered ideologies and attitudes that contribute to online attitudes about gender.

Explore the globalization of gender-based technology use in violence and crime.

Review emerging policies and strategies addressing digital usage and privacy.

Summarize the socio-cultural and historical contexts of technological facilitated offense.

Design and use AI Study Partners in exploring complex topics

Design a Professional-Conference ready Presentation.

 Course Requirements 

Required Text and Materials

• Reading Material provided via Academic Search Premier/ProQuest/Internet Resources

• Kang, M., Lessard, D., Heston, L., & Nordmarken, S. 2017. Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. UMass Amherst. ISBN: 9781945764028 (free)

Technical Requirements

You will need the following in order to participate in this course:

• Computer or tablet; 
• Reliable internet connection;
• Microphone;
• Some way to make and post a simple video (e.g., using a webcam, or a smartphone);
• Access to Canvas using a supported web browser.

 Technical Support

For additional help with technical issues, consult:

• University Information Technology Services (UITS) (human support)
• IU Knowledge Base (IUKB) (guides)
• IUware (download free software)

 Course Assessment & Grades

Course Assessment:

Submitting Assignments

All Assignments will be submitted via Canvas in the appropriate assignment box.

How Will I Know How I’m Doing in This Course?

Grades will be posted in Canvas within 48 hours of the "Accept Until" submission date. Since Canvas keeps track of all of your grades, you should always be able to calculate your current grade in the course. If you need assistance, please contact me.

Late Work

There will be a 20% penalty for any late work.

TENTATIVE COURSE OUTLINE

(subject to change)

All due date times are 11:59pm CST unless otherwise stated.