300665 Web Society and Globalisation (S) (WiSe 2021/2022)

Professor Dr. Piergiorgio Degli Esposti from the University of Bologna, Italy, is a guest professor at the Faculty of Sociology in winter semester 2021/22.

Description of the course:

By the end of this course, students will be able to distinguish and analyze the different notions of globalization, and how information technologies affect everyday life, markets, and the process of consumption. In particular, the student will be able to:
- develop an understanding of “Globalization” through a sociological lens
- understand the culture of the Internet and the relationship between globalization and web society
- analyze the impact on individual behaviors and society at large within Social Networks & Online Communities through the mainstreaming of private information posted to the public sphere
- frame the emergence of a new rhetoric of “democratization” and participation in the web society
- understand the changing relationship between producers, consumers and “prosumers” in the web society
- recognize consequences and effects of the Digital Divide nationally and worldwide.

The seminar is expected to take place in the hybrid form (in-person and online simultneously). The concrete arrangement depends on the development of the pandemic.

Professor Dr. Degli Esposti is the Italian coordinator of the Double Master's Degree Programme in Sociology of the University of Bologna and Bielefeld University. More information on the programme can be found here: https://www.uni-bielefeld.de/fakultaeten/soziologie/studium/international/bologna/index.xml MA Sociology students in their 1st semester who are interested in joining the programm are particularly recommended to participate in the seminar.