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.