Theoretical Approaches to the New Media Ecology (4 ECTS, OB)

Transition from the broadcast-oriented to the network-oriented media ecology. Key theories, conceptual models and analytical categories for studying digital culture and interactive media (sociologies of the Internet and social media, actor-network theory, media ecology and evolution, political economy of digital media and digital work, mediatization and theory of interfaces).

Methodological Approaches to Digital Culture and the Emerging Media (6 ECTS, OB)

Qualitative methods applied to the study of new media and digital culture: content and text analysis, reception analysis, digital ethnography. Quantitative and digital methods for the analysis of digital content and user experiences. Methods for applied research and research related to creation and action: practice-based research, design-based research, action-research. Key aspects for designing a research project. Data privacy and ethical issues in research.

Foundations of Communication Studies and Media Culture (4 ECTS)

Bridging subject, only for students coming from degrees not related to communication/media studies.

Digital Society, Politics and Communication (6 ECTS, OB)

Digital media and contemporary day-to-day life: human relationships, identity construction, work life. Critical perspectives on digital society: inequalities, gender perspective, platform capitalism and digital labor. General trends of digital communication regarding journalism, persuasive communication, contemporary politics and online activism.

Data Analysis and Information Visualization concerning Global Issues (5 ECTS, OB)

Data sets, information sources, data scraping. Data processing and data analysis. Information visualization: keys of visual perception, types of data visualization; tools for data visualization. Trends in data analysis and information visualization. Application to global issues, in relation with sustainable development.

Videogames, Transmedia Imaginaries and Contemporary Entertainment (6 ECTS, OB)

Key aspects of contemporary gaming culture and game studies. Videoludic language, procedural rhetorics and ludonarrative design. Ludonarrative imaginaries: cross-media analysis of videogames, audiovisual narratives and contemporary culture. Cultural studies and political/ideological analysis of digital pop culture and social media entertainment.

Digital Arts and Emerging Media (5 ECTS, OB)

Contemporary perspectives on digital art: art and emerging technologies; digital art and interactive experiences (installations, performative art, ludic and participatory art); art, immersive media and virtual reality; procedurally-generated art and NFTs; art, politics and online activism. Theory and practice of art-based research.

Trends in Digital Journalism (4 ECTS, OP)

Theory and research into digital journalism. Trends and challenges in contemporary digital journalism. Compared journalism and new media. Network and data management, online activism and alternative journalism. Emerging journalistic narratives and genres (transmedia reports, collaborative initiatives, immersive experiences, geolocated narratives). Contemporary audiences and business models in digital journalism.

Digital Storytelling: Models, Trends and Innovation (4 ECTS, OP)

History and models of digital storytelling. Key references and contemporary trends concerning innovation and creative research into digital storytelling. Narratological approaches and machine learning approaches. Artificial intelligence, narrative and interactive drama.

Digital Museography and Online Cultural Activities (4 ECTS, OP)

Evolution and contemporary challenges of digital museography. Digital media and new strategies in contemporary museology and cultural dissemination (immersive media, augmented reality, smartphones, geolocalization). Digital approaches for analysing the visitor/user experience. Challenges concerning the digital preservation of exhibitions.

New Media Literacies and Youth Cultures (4 ECTS, OP)

Education on digital media and contemporary communication: theories and strategies. Ethnographies and participatory action-research oriented to new media literacy. Qualitative experimentation into new media literacy (design-based research). Critical-cultural literacy on digital media vs (instrumental) digital literacy. Formal, non-formal and informal literacy concerning the new media. Youth, inequality and contemporary challenges of new media literacy.

Workshop: Planning and Developing a Research Project (5 ECTS, OB)

Review of key aspects for the design of a research project, including basic research, applied research and research related to creation/action. Ethical issues in research and informed consent. Specific orientations and support to the development of the Master’s degree final projects. Key aspects regarding the planning of dissemination, academic SEO and impact, and the social/cultural transfer of the results.