Course summary

The MA in Digital Media, Culture, and Society offers advanced interdisciplinary study in the critique and use of digital media and technology with a particular focus on their cultural and societal implications. The emergence of digital artifacts is a defining challenge of the twenty-first century, with transformative effects on our cultural production, our social bonds, our economies, and our political systems. Digital media make possible new modes of intellectual pursuit, artistic expression, and civic engagement which students will study through critical analysis and active engagement. At the same time, technology enables novel forms of surveillance and inequality: from the erosion of privacy to algorithmic bias, this course empowers students to recognize digitally mediated threats to civil society. Students will also learn how digital technology transforms the way in which we interrogate and curate the cultural record: students will have the opportunity to learn a range of digital skills, such as data analytics and visualisation. The course brings together a diverse student body from different backgrounds in a research-led, seminar-based, interactive curriculum that prepares them for leadership roles as critical thinkers and practitioners in the technology sector and the cultural and creative industries. Throughout the course you will learn to critically engage with the cultural and societal impacts of digital media and technology; evaluate digitally-mediated forms of intellectual pursuit, artistic expression and civic engagement; and conduct independent research on and with digital technology and media.