28871
Advanced seminar
Networked public spheres in comparative perspective
Yangliu Fan
Comments
The public sphere can be conceptualized as a dynamic network in which actors are connected through communicative actions. Within these networks, some actors have gained prominence and are recognized as epistemic authorities in the digital public sphere (e.g., professional experts, journalists, and influencers). In a global context, different characteristics of political and media systems can promote or constrain the communicative roles and behaviors of organizations and other actors. Through a combination of lectures, seminar discussions, student presentations, and group work, this seminar provides an in-depth introduction to the network perspective on political communication. It equips students with the theoretical knowledge and methodological tools needed to examine and compare digital public spheres as dynamic networks across countries. Students will learn to specify networks of political communication, to analyze them using standard network measures, and to situate empirical findings within comparative frameworks of media and political systems. As a core component of the seminar, students collaborate on a group project using online communication network data from different countries, thereby applying the concept of the networked public sphere to empirical studies. Please note that this is a group-work-based empirical seminar. An interest in empirical research is required. Students will gain hands-on experience analyzing social media data and develop practical methodological skills to design and conduct their own empirical projects. No prior experience with network analysis or Gephi is required. close
16 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Mon, 2026-10-12 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-10-19 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-10-26 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-11-02 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-11-09 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-11-16 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-11-23 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-11-30 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-12-07 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2026-12-14 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-01-04 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-01-11 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-01-18 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-01-25 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-02-01 16:00 - 18:00
Mon, 2027-02-08 16:00 - 18:00