RMeS RMa course: Platformisation: Transforming key economic sectors and spheres of life

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When: November, December 2023 and January 2024 (exact dates, see below)
Where: Utrecht University, see below
ECTS: 6
Coordinator: Niels Kerssens (UU)
Guest lectures by: Dr Anne Helmond, Prof. dr José van Dijck (UU), Prof. Thomas Poell (UvA), Dr Robert Prey (RUG), Dr Niels van Doorn (UvA), Dr Niels Niessen (Tilburg University) and Dr João Vieira Magalhães (RUG)
For: First and second year RMa students in Media Studies, who are a member of a Dutch Graduate Research School (onderzoekschool). Students who are members of RMeS will have first access. RMeS staff and PhD researchers are welcome to sit in on specific sessions; please send an e-mail to RMeS if you intend to attend one or more seminar sessions: rmes@rug.nl.

Registration will open on 11 September 2023 via this link.

This autumn, the Research School for Media Studies offers a Platformisation course where faculty members from nine participating universities (UvA, UU, VU, EUR, UL, UM, UT, RUG, RUN) present the latest research in their fields of interest through a series of lectures and workshops. The course invites RMA students to participate in an international, cutting edge research environment, while earning credits towards their degree. It presents a unique opportunity to get to know other students and leading academics from all over The Netherlands, in an open setting of engaging and ambitious exchange that would prove particularly fruitful for students who are aspiring to pursue a future career in academic research or teaching. All eight universities accept the credits earned in this module.

Globally and (trans)nationally operating online platforms have become deeply involved in the organization and transformation of a wide range of public and private spheres of life, from healthcare to journalism, and from education to the home. In this process of platformisation, platform logics—including their norms, strategies, mechanisms, and economies—have started to play a vital role in reshaping and rearticulating domain-specific social and cultural practices as well as the public values on which these practices are based.

In this ‘Platformisation’ course, we will explore the transformational impact of platformisation on different public and private domains of our digital society. Each afternoon will be dedicated to the analysis, research and discussion of the platformisation of one or two of these domains, based on the expertise of various guest speakers. A fifth session revolves around student presentations in preparation of their final written assignment. All sessions, assignments, readings and preparatory work will be supervised and marked by dr. Niels Kerssens (UU), the coordinator of the course. The grading will be based on both the presentation (30%) and the final written assignment (70%).

Weekly programme

Friday afternoon from 13.00-17.00

17 November 2023 | Room – Kanunnikenzaal (Domplein 29, Utrecht)
24 November 2023 | Room – JK15A – 202 (Janskerkhof 15A,  Utrecht)
1 December 2023 | Room – JK15A – 202 (Janskerkhof 15A,  Utrecht)
8 December 2023 | Room – JK15A – 202 (Janskerkhof 15A,  Utrecht)
12 January 2024 presentations (10.00-17.00) | Room – D23 – 104 (Drift 23 Utrecht, entrance: via Drift 27)

Guest speakers

Friday 17 November 2023

  • Introduction: Niels Kerssens
  • Dr Anne Helmond (UU)

Friday 24 November 2023

  • Prof. dr José van Dijck (UU)
  • Dr Niels Niessen (Tilburg University)

Friday 1 December 2023

  • Prof. Thomas Poell (UvA)
  • Dr João Vieira Magalhães (RUG)

Friday 8 December 2023

  • Dr Robert Prey (RUG)
  • Dr Niels van Doorn (UvA)