MOOC. Youth and online political participation: motivations, spaces, practices and inhibitors

40 students
Image of a demonstration during the 15M Spanish Indignados movement

15m (cc by-nc Aurora Petra)

Youth and online political participation: motivations, spaces, practices and inhibitors

About the course

This is a MOOC, a Massive Open Online Course. This means that it is free and open to everyone.
The course will run during 4 weeks, from 18 June 2018 to 16 July 2018.

It is addressed to people interested in the phenomenon of millennials and their engagement in politics and in society in general.
Most specifically, we believe it may be of the interest of young local leaders, activists, and members of political parties youths.

The general dynamic of every week will be as follows:

  • Watch the introductory video.
  • Read the suggested readings.
  • Do a quizz.
  • Do an assignment, usually writing some minor essay, share it publicly and comment it (assignments will not be corrected or marked)

The core topic of the essay will be inequalities, inhibitors, barriers, etc. that stop youth from participating in politics, like gender, unemployment, different cultural approaches, housing, discredit of institutional politics, lack of a critical mass on your interests, rural/urban tensions, etc.

Goals

  • Define the profile of the millennial generation, especially its main inclusion / social exclusion vectors, and tell the differences and similarities with other former generations.
  • Identify the main socialization and political participation practices of the millennial generation, especially political participation and online activism and its inhibitors.
  • Make public policy proposals related to the political participation of millennials.

Assignment’s Rubric

Descriptive skills Analytic skills Critical thinking and  propositive skills
Characterising millennials Identifies the basic characteristics of millennials. Can compare millennials to other generations, identifies the differences and similarities and the reasons behind them. Adapts a policy proposal to be addressed especifically to millennials; is able to assess whether a given proposal is more or less likely to work.
Spaces and practices of online participation Identifies tools and spaces prefered or more used by millennials. Can compare the dynamics of technopolitics to other kinds (institutional, traditional) of online participation. Describes, in terms of technopolitics, behaviours that happen outside of politics (economics, innovation, health, education, etc.) that follow a similar pattern.
Barriers and inequalities of online political participation Identifies barriers and inequalities relying on traditional discourses on the digital divide. Can explain the determinants of youth inequalities and the  differential factors in youth online participation. Proposes a comprehensive political initiative to improve participation among youth taking into account their differential point of departure.
Source selection Some sources chosen are relevant to the topic;
writer may need additional sources to complete research		 Most sources chosen are relevant to the topic;
May require a small amount of additional research		 Sources and data selected are highly relevant to the topic;
Sources adds greatly to research potential;
few, if any additional sources needed.
Sources are properly cited.

 

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Youth in Europe. Characterising the Millennials.

Facilitated by Anna Clua.

WEEK 2: New online political participation spaces and practices.

Facilitated by Ismael Peña-López.

WEEK 3: Main barriers and inequalities of online political participation.

Facilitated by Ludovic Terren.

WEEK 4: Public policy proposals on youth and online political participation.

Facilitated by Núria Ferran.

Instructor

EURYKA BCN Team

Anna Clua Infante, Núria Ferran, Ismael Peña-López, Ludovic Terren. For more information about the EURYKA BCN Team please visit: http://euryka.rdi.uoc.edu/team/
Free

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