Overview
The 'selfie' as a site of critical study; selfies as cultural objects, and how researchers understand the selfie as a space for/act of communication.
This paper explores the idea of the 'selfie' as a popular cultural phenomenon, as a digital process and as a space for communication and cultural expression. Through this paper, you will learn to think critically about selfies as a discourse, as a cultural practice, as techno-socially enabled and as a rich space for communication and critique. You will also take many selfies!
About this paper
| Paper title | Special Topic |
|---|---|
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2026 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $1,103.10 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
Department of Media, Film and Communication
Tel 03 479 3724
mfco@otago.ac.nz- More information link
View more information on the Department of Media, Film and Communication's website.
- Teaching staff
To be advised when paper next offered.
- Paper Structure
- Identity, interpellation and critiques of selfie culture
- Branding and celebrity
- Dataveillance, biometrics and facial recognition
- Sexuality, dating and gender
- Subalterns, criminals and others
- Space, place and 'appropriateness'
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is offered both on campus and as distance paper.
- Textbooks
No textbook, but there will be set course materials
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Communication, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this paper students will:
- Be able to both communicate and critique popular self-produced visual messages
- Understand the selfie as an international phenomenon that is subject to and reproduces cultural values and ideals
- Show an understanding of the ethical implications of engaging with, sharing and studying personal images in social contexts
- Be able to manage complex forms of information and structure and analyse these visual messages within a cultural, techno-social, political and economic context
- Assessment details
Assessments:
- Weekly image production task, 40%
- Writing task (four out of six weeks), 40%
- Discussion/seminar tasks, 20%
Overview
The 'selfie' as a site of critical study; selfies as cultural objects, and how researchers understand the selfie as a space for/act of communication.
This paper explores the idea of the 'selfie' as a popular cultural phenomenon, as a digital process and as a space for communication and cultural expression. Through this paper, you will learn to think critically about selfies as a discourse, as a cultural practice, as techno-socially enabled and as a rich space for communication and critique. You will also take many selfies!
About this paper
| Paper title | Special Topic |
|---|---|
| Subject | Media, Film and Communication |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Not offered in 2027 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for 2027 have not yet been set |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- 18 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
- More information link
View more information on the Department of Media, Film and Communication's website.
- Teaching staff
To be advised when paper next offered.
- Paper Structure
Topics covered in this paper include:
- Identity, interpellation and critiques of selfie culture
- Branding and celebrity
- Dataveillance, biometrics and facial recognition
- Sexuality, dating and gender
- Subalterns, criminals and others
- Space, place and "appropriateness"
- Teaching Arrangements
This paper is offered both on campus and as distance paper.
- Textbooks
No textbook, but there will be set course materials
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Communication, Information literacy, Research.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this paper students will:
- Be able to both communicate and critique popular self-produced visual messages
- Understand the selfie as an international phenomenon that is subject to and reproduces cultural values and ideals
- Show an understanding of the ethical implications of engaging with, sharing and studying personal images in social contexts
- Be able to manage complex forms of information and structure and analyse these visual messages within a cultural, techno-social, political and economic context
- Assessment details
Assessments:
- Weekly Image Production Task (40%)
- Writing Task - four out of six weeks (40%)
- Discussion/Seminar Tasks (20%)