Critical Studies of Social Media
Rhetoric and Communications · 3 hrs Lecture/Seminar
Offered: Fall Or Winter, Every Year
RHET-3450 prerequisites
We couldn't read this course's prerequisites into a chain. The wording is under “Requisite courses” below.
Where RHET-3450 counts
Counts toward 3 more as one option among several, not as a course you must take:
Read from the departments' own calendar pages, where 50 of 208 programs are only partly machine-readable, so treat these as a minimum rather than the full list. Confirm with an academic advisor.
Description
Social media and social networking websites structure many of our experiences of the world, ourselves, and the culture that surrounds us. This course takes a critical, cultural, and rhetorical approach to the study of social media. Topics include the rhetoric of the public profile and persuasive constructions of social media selfhood and identity curation; the language and meaning of social media "friendship" and "publicity;" questions about the rhetoric of privacy under conditions of constant surveillance; the relationship between discourse, algorithms, and platform logics; and the role of social media in framing the world of meaning and public discourse.
Requisite courses
Any section of Academic Writing or exemption from the writing requirement and completion of 24 credit hours [prerequisite(s)].
From the 2026-27 undergraduate calendar. Always verify details on WebAdvisor or with an academic advisor before registering.