CMN 772 (02) - Seminar in Media Theory

Seminar in Media Theory

Credits: 4.0
Term: Fall 2023 - Full Term (08/28/2023 - 12/11/2023)
Grade Mode: Letter Grading
Class Size:   12  
CRN: 15383
Detailed analysis of major theories related to the interaction of communication technologies and society. Application to current examples in politics, advertising, and entertainment. May be repeated for a different topic. Students are required to have taken two 500 level CMN courses (C-) to take this course, unless granted instructor permission.
Section Comments: Seminar Topic Title: Digital Shaming
Instructor Approval Required. Contact Instructor for permission then register through Webcat.
Prerequisite(s): CMN 455 with minimum grade of C and CMN 456 with minimum grade of C and CMN 457 with minimum grade of C
Repeat Rule: May be repeated up to unlimited times.
Only listed campus in section: Durham
Classes not allowed in section: Freshman, Sophomore
Only listed majors in section: CMN:BUSAPPL, CMN:MEDIA, COMMUNICATION
Attributes: Writing Intensive Course
Instructors: Nora Draper

Times & Locations

Start Date End Date Days Time Location
8/28/2023 12/11/2023 MW 9:40am - 11:00am HORT 110
Additional Course Details: 

Course Description - This course examines the sociotechnical dynamics of shame in a digital society. We will begin by exploring philosophical and sociological theories of shame and consider the role shame has historically played in governing Western societies. We will then turn to the contemporary world to explore how the affordances of digital technologies are reshaping how we think about the possibilities and consequences of shaming. Throughout, we will pay particular attention to the ways social categories – including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual identity – shape both the experience of being shamed and larger cultural conversations about shaming. Finally, we will consider what current debates and media narratives around digital shaming – including those related to “cancel culture” – reveal about contemporary cultural anxieties.