Digital Culture & Society

The aim of the MA Digital Culture & Society programme is to develop participants’ understanding of the role and consequences of digital technologies in contemporary culture, broadly interpreted to include such areas of activity as performing arts, telecommunications, information technology, philosophy, law and education. The programme is conceived as fundamentally interdisciplinary, drawing for its teaching on four academic Schools: Humanities; Law; Physical Sciences and Engineering; and Social Science & Public Policy. It is aimed at a diverse range of participants, offering technological insights to those with non-technical backgrounds, and cultural perspectives to those who have not thought about digital culture in a systematic way.

The central focus of the programme is the interrelatedness of technology and culture in contemporary society. The principle educational aims are to develop and enhance participants’ awareness and understanding of a range of subjects relevant to digital culture and technology, including:

• The key information and communication technologies that shape contemporary society.
• The key developments in contemporary cultural expression, specifically as these are driven, mediated or influenced by digital technologies.
• The role of digital technologies in the study of culture and cultural artefacts from the past.
• How digital technologies are shaping society more generally, e.g. social intercourse, social structures, government, international politics, education and law.
• The current critical and theoretical debates around digital culture and the role of technology in cultural life.
• The ethical, moral and philosophical issues that arise from the role and impact of technology in cultural and social life.

Overall, the programme aims to develop and enhance the critical and analytical skills of participants in forming their own assessments of digital technologies and their impact in society and culture.