Global Media, War, and Technology

Week 1: An introduction to global media and war
Introduction to the history of and context surrounding conflict in cyberspace.

Week 2: Transformation of the mediasphere
A look at the media revolution and its transformation from a multipolar to a heteropolar mediascape as well as an exploration of the disruptive nature of digital media.

Week 3: Surveillance
An analysis of the scale and scope of today's global system of mass surveillance, of how it compares to older forms of surveillance such as the STASI, and what living under constant surveillance means for privacy and the future of democracy.

Week 4: Visual politics and conflict
Introduction to the role of images in conflict through an analysis of images connected to current events.

Week 5: Democratic states, the media and the production of clean wars
Discussion of the changing role of media as seen during the Vietnam War, the 1991 Gulf War, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq

Week 6: The military-industrial-media-entertainment complex
Analysis of the evolution of the military-industrial complex and the growing collaboration between militaries, Hollywood film studios, and the commercial gaming sector.

Week 7: Non-state military actors and media
Survey of media use by non-state military actors such as Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and the Islamic State.