New Media and the Russo-Ukrainian War, 5 cr

The course critically engages with the mediatization of the Russo-Ukrainian War, focusing on how new media has transformed the landscape of modern warfare. Focusing on digital platforms, visual practices, popular culture, artificial intelligence, immersive media, and information warfare, the course explores how war is documented, witnessed, aestheticized, contested, and narrated in contemporary media environments. By examining the evolution of the relationship between media and technology during this conflict, the course highlights how digital platforms have become arenas for popular mobilization, artistic resistance, activism, and propaganda. Students will explore the role of social media in shaping public opinion and framing wartime narratives and study the use of technology in documenting and narrating the war. The course will also explore how popular culture has been influenced by and has responded to the war, reflecting the broader geopolitical and societal impacts of the conflict. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of how media and technology intersect to shape the modern wartime experience, as well as the complex roles they play in both perpetuating and challenging narratives during conflicts.