Information, Technology, and Society in Asia 223

<Tentative Schedule> 1. April 10 “Let’s talk about politics” 2. April 17 Democracy and talk (1) 3. April 24 Democracy and talk (2) 4. May 1 No class 5. May 8 Varieties of interviews 6. May 15 Designing interviews 7. May 22 Group work 8. May 29 Group work 9. June 5 mid-term discussions 10. June 12 mid-term discussions 11. June 19 going to an interview 12. June 26 going to an interview 13. July 3 Discussions 14. July 10 presentations 15. July 17 presentations 16. July 24 conclusion

<Background and framework of this class> Last year, my team and I conducted interviews to 80 people in and around Tokyo for my Kaken-project “Comparative News, Entertainment and Technology (NET) Project”. We asked what they do about news they received via social and mass media. The majority of our interviewees answered that they neither shared nor talked about news, whether online or face to face. In Western democratic theories, political talk plays a central role in defining how democracy functions in the contemporary world, and journalism is expected to actively cover current and political affairs to inform civic-minded citizens. So what happens to democracy in Japan? Why are people so hesitant to talk about news? Is there any future for Japanese democracy? This course will explore these questions. In order to investigate this theme empirically, we will conduct in-depth interviews. We will also learn how to make use of a qualitative analysis software during the class.

<Assessment and Methods of Evaluation> This is an “activity-oriented” course in which all students are expected to participate in discussions, conduct interviews, do a presentation and write up a report based upon their interview data. Group works are encouraged. I particularly emphasize attendance and participation. 40% attendance and active participation in discussions 30% presentation 30% Term paper (report)

<Textbook> K. Roulston, 2010, Reflective Interviewing. A Guide to Theory & Practive. Sage. Other required readings will be prepared electronically and made available at the beginning of the course.

Benhabib, S. 1996. Toward a Deliberative Model of Democratic Legitimacy. In, S.Benhabib, (ed.), Democracy and Difference. Contesting the Boundaries of the Political. 67-94. Chan, Michael. 2018. "Reluctance to Talk About Politics in Face-to-Face and Facebook Settings: Examining the Impact of Fear of Isolation, Willingness to Self-Censor, and Peer Network Characteristics." Mass Communication & Society 21(1):1-23. Griffin, Em. 2008. “Spiral of Silence – Elizabeth Noelle-Neumann.” In, A First Look at Communication Theory. https://www.afirstlook.com/docs/spiral.pdf Hampton, K.N., Rainie, L., Lu, W., Dwyer, M., Shin, I., & Purcell, K. 2014. “Social Media and the ‘Spiral of Silence.’ Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. Available at http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/08/26/social-media-and-the-spiral-of-silence/ Iyengar, Shanto, and Sean J. Westwood. 2015. "Fear and Loathing across Party Lines: New Evidence on Group Polarization." American Journal of Political Science 59(3):690-707. Mutz, D.C., 2006, Hearing the Other Side. Deliberative versus Participatory Democracy. 1-17. Young, I.M., 1996. Communication and the Other: Beyond Deliberative Democracy. In, S.Benhabib, (ed.), Democracy and Difference. Contesting the Boundaries of the Political. 67-94.120-133.

The course is conducted mainly in English. However, the ability to speak Japanese fluently is highly desirable and the instructor uses Japanese whenever necessary to explicate the Japanese context.