GIST 3700 - Social Media and Contentious Politics in the Global Age

Goals: The tweet heard across the world started a revolution in a small, relatively stable country in the Middle East (Tunisia) in January 2011 and within months had spread like wildfire across the globe, challenging the reign of the seemingly most firmly entrenched economic and political systems. Fueled by a newly energized youth and social media technology, non-ideological and peaceful protest movements —from Occupy Wall Street in the U.S., to riots in London, protests in Spain, Chile, and Russia, for example— have generated a wave of unprecedented regional changes with far-reaching global effects.

Content: This course will examine the roots and future implications of these global youth movements as they navigate uncharted territory, and consequent regional upheaval through the lens of new social movement theory, cyberactivism and the democratization of the public sphere.

Credits: 4