REFLECTIVE SEMINAR in Fall 2020 (RS0001FB5A)

How does digitalization affect democracy? While civic mobilization through social media, online discussion and electronic voting seem to enhance democratic participation, “fake news,” opinion polarization and profit-driven algorithms render democratic choice increasingly difficult. The course surveys the ambivalent transformation of democratic life in the digital era through the lenses of communication studies and philosophy. It examines how digital communication changes how we politically speak and relate to each other as citizens as well as how we should understand and evaluate these changes from ethical and historical perspectives.