Interactive Media & Society - TFT00016I
Module summary
This humanities module critically explores key issues related to the use of interactive media in a range of social contexts. Through detailed consideration of the histories, myths, and ideologies associated with certain technologies – as well as those associated with technology in general – we will question ideas of technological determinism and digital utopianism, and interrogate the ways interactive media shape culture, politics, visuality, and identity today.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
to explore the socio-cultural histories of a wide range of digital technologies
to consider how these technologies shape our lives and expectations in profound ways
to discover how these technologies are never neutral, but instead manifest issues of race, gender, class, and more in ways that are industrially downplayed
Module learning outcomes
Subject content
Demonstrate an ability to use critical thinking to reason about the socio-cultural impact of interactive media.
Gain an understanding of the development of media technology, social theory and cultural studies in the 20th and 21st century.
Become familiar with key issues and ideas in media studies and new media theory
Academic and graduate skills
Demonstrate skills in managing a range of information sources to analyse a relevant domain in interactive media and synthesise a view on its impact in society.
Develop critical skills in analysing digital tools and environments and understanding their roles throughout contemporary society.
Develop research skills, including skills in writing, reading and referencing.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 30 |
| Essay/coursework | 70 |
Module feedback
Students will receive feedback in line with university guidelines.
Indicative reading
Indicative books:
Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2016)
José van Dijck, The Culture of Connectivity: A Critical History of Social Media (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013)
Mary Joyce (ed), Digital Activism Decoded: The New Mechanics of Change. New York: IDEA, 2010.
Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2001.
Astra Taylor, The People's Platform. London: Harper Collins, 2014.
Shoshanna Zuboff, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism (London: Profile, 2019)