Course summary

The course provides students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds with the skills to understand and implement applied equality in technology development. We define internet equalities as socio-technical systems that explicitly oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, belief and ability. More and more internet-based products, services, platform owners, communities and governments recognise the importance equality plays in developing technologies that can confront social problems such as racism, gender oppression and economic exclusion. Technology professionals who have critical and creative skills around human rights, inclusion and ethical design are in high demand as the industry shifts the narrative from what we could make to what we should make. Theory and methods Students explore a range of methods including Participatory Design, Feminist Human Computer Interaction, Digital Ethnography and Design Justice. You will learn how scholars and creative practitioners have used frameworks such as Intersectional Critical Race Technology Studies, Digital Feminism, Queer Theory and Postcolonial Science and Technology Studies to confront structures of oppression. Work on practical projects and interventions that inform and are informed by the theories and methods taught, positioning you to enter the technology and creative industries or to pursue a research career through PhD progression in this area. Learning environment The course emphasises collaboration, openness, inclusion, diversity and solving issues as a community of learners. Short assignments within taught units will require students to collaborate, bringing together their unique perspectives, reaching mutual goals, respecting individual differences and bringing lived experiences to bear on their learning. The staff team and reading lists are diverse, acknowledging the vital need for representation in promoting a fair and inclusive learning environment. Visiting practitioners from diverse backgrounds will present to students through lectures, seminars and studio visits. Opportunities to work with mentors and industry professionals will give students unique insights into the technology sector, and support their career path within it.