Undergraduate Module Descriptor

ANT3095: Social Media, Disinformation, and Authoritarianism

This module descriptor refers to the 2022/3 academic year.

Module Content

Syllabus Plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, it is envisaged that the syllabus will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • Digital ethnography as methodology
  • The digital self
  • Anonymity and harassment
  • Algorithms as digital infrastructure
  • Civil unrest and populism
  • Online conspiracy theories and “cults”
  • Technology and authoritarianism

Learning and Teaching

This table provides an overview of how your hours of study for this module are allocated:

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

...and this table provides a more detailed breakdown of the hours allocated to various study activities:

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Schedule Learning and Teaching Activity22 Weekly 2-hour lectures/seminars or 1 hour lecture + 1 hour seminar.
Guided Independent Study40Weekly reading for seminars
Guided Independent Study60Essay writing and research
Guided Independent Study28Presentation of one example of disinformation on a social media platform

Online Resources

This module has online resources available via ELE (the Exeter Learning Environment).

  • ELE – College to provide hyperlink to appropriate pages

How this Module is Assessed

In the tables below, you will see reference to 'ILO's. An ILO is an Intended Learning Outcome - see Aims and Learning Outcomes for details of the ILOs for this module.

Formative Assessment

A formative assessment is designed to give you feedback on your understanding of the module content but it will not count towards your mark for the module.

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay outline500 words1-7Written

Summative Assessment

A summative assessment counts towards your mark for the module. The table below tells you what percentage of your mark will come from which type of assessment.

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
10000

...and this table provides further details on the summative assessments for this module.

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Essay652,000 words1-7Written
Presentation3510-minute presentation1-7Written
0
0
0
0

Re-assessment

Re-assessment takes place when the summative assessment has not been completed by the original deadline, and the student has been allowed to refer or defer it to a later date (this only happens following certain criteria and is always subject to exam board approval). For obvious reasons, re-assessments cannot be the same as the original assessment and so these alternatives are set. In cases where the form of assessment is the same, the content will nevertheless be different.

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
EssayEssay, 2,000 words (65%)1-7August/September reassessment period
PresentationPresentation, 10 minutes (35%)1-7August/September re-assessment period

Re-assessment notes

RE-ASSESSMENT NOTES – for presentation, reassessment can be a recorded presentation rather than in person.