CHID 496 B: Focus Groups

Each week facilitators will focus content on larger themes such as internet safety, dating, online discernment, and community building. We will ask students to come to class having done some personal investigations on different platforms related to these themes. Facilitators will also provide readings or sources to engage with to assist in making conversation more robust, and reduce reliance on students to disclose personal experiences. These analyses will help drive a discussion that breaks down our increasingly digital world, helping students learn to navigate existing social media, and imagine ways social media can become increasingly inclusive, supportive, and safe for queer folk. 

Students will explore online spaces and their significance to the queer community, this could be as expansive as a niche space or personal favored creators. Whether that be a safe dating app for queer folk, online activism on facebook or instagram, or the ability to explore identity while maintaining a level of anonymity, students will critically analyze how these virtual communities are safe and affirming, and/or how they may be dangerous or non inclusive.