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Postgraduate

MA Internet Equalities

a group of people sitting on chairs listening to a seminar
Visitors at Feminist Internet, Designing Feminist Alexa Seminar, 2019, UAL Creative Computing Institute © Lorenza Demata
College
UAL Creative Computing Institute
Start date
October 2023
Course length
1 year 3 months full time (45 weeks across a four-term model)

MA Internet Equalities explores how power relations are organized, embedded and perpetuated in internet technologies, and how they can be re-organized or challenged through critical, creative and activist practice.

Why choose this course at UAL Creative Computing Institute

  • High-quality research informed teaching: the course is significantly informed by the research themes of the UAL Creative Computing Institute (CCI)
  • Critical engagement with technology: engagement with creative practice will also build your ability to self-reflect and think critically about your role in shaping the world
  • Institute Environment:  you will have access to purpose-built facilities and technical support, and exposure to creative computing research

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Course overview

MA Internet Equalities explores how power relations and structures of oppression are organized, embedded and perpetuated by internet technologies. It will equip you with critical and technical tools to understand and apply principles of equality in technology research and development, so you can contribute to making the internet and society more equal. We define internet equalities as socio-technical relations that explicitly oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, belief or ability. The course will ensure you are proactive in confronting social problems, facilitating greater diversity of all kinds and reducing the risk of destructive outcomes that can be brought about by unethical technologies.

 

The course offers a choice of units that support three career pathways:

  • Research
  • Programming
  • Social innovation

The course culture is collaborative, open and participatory with an emphasis on peer support and community. You will join a rich research environment at the Creative Computing Institute and work alongside cutting-edge practitioners and researchers working at the intersection of art and design, technology development and ethics.

You will explore a range of interrelated theories including Digital Intersectionality, Post-colonial Science and Technology Studies, Digital Feminism and Queer Theory. You will learn methods including Participatory Action Research, Feminist, post-colonial Human Computer Interaction, Iterative Design, Grounded Theory and Digital Ethnography.

You will work on practical projects and interventions that inform and are informed by the theories and methods taught, positioning you to enter industry as a practitioner or to pursue a research career through PhD progression in this area.

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

Term 1 Units:

1.1 Intersectional Internets (20 Credits)
In this unit you will explore how power relations are organized, embedded and perpetuated in internet technologies, and how this can be resisted. You will examine structures of oppression including hetero-patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism and white supremacy and the ways they intersect with each other. You will learn how scholars and creative practitioners have used frameworks such as digital intersectionality and post-colonial science and technology studies to push back against these power relations. You will address an internet equality by reviewing and critiquing current discourses and completing a practical intervention.

 

1.2 Methods for ethical technology development (20 credits)

Supported by seminars, group discussions and exploratory practice, you will prototype and test a method of ethical technology development. You will also present a critique of a relevant theoretical text and its relationship to your practice. Methods covered will include Feminist/post-colonial/anarchist Human Computer Interaction, Participatory Action Research, Iterative Design, and Digital Ethnography. Theories covered will include Digital Feminism, Digital Intersectionality, Postcolonial Science and Technology Studies and Queer Theory.

 

1.3 Feminist computational practices (20 credits)

In this unit you will be introduced to Javascript, Twitter bots and Python, considering how feminist approaches can frame the practice of coding. This unit has the explicit aim of helping you understand coding skills within a community of practitioners and ensuring you develop a foundation to tackle the rest of the course and orient your coding skills towards ethical technology development.  

Term 2/3 Units:

2.1 OPTIONAL: Computational Inequalities (20 Credits)
Building on the feminist computational practices unit, this practical unit explores computational bias in the context of surveillance capitalism and big data. Through supervised studio/lab practice, seminars and independent study, you will learn critical and computational approaches to address forms of discrimination and bias that are reinforced by machine learning systems and the data they are trained on. You will explore alternative, crowdsourced and open forms of data and their potential in creative ethical technology development. You will develop a technical prototype and provide accompanying reflective documentation.  

2.2 OPTIONAL: Designing for responsible business and innovation (20 Credits)
This unit incorporates workshops and industry visits to explore the moral and business cases for responsible business and innovation. You will hear from leading experts and practitioners about the history and current landscape of workplace equality. You will critically analyse the role of responsible innovation in building a more equal society, considering its place and scope within small start-ups and global corporations. You will present a proposal for a business, policy or other intervention that foregrounds responsible innovation or workplace equality.

2.3 Human Rights and Computation (20 Credits)

This unit explores the roles of technology companies, governments, users and the law in making social platforms safe. You will explore legal, human rights and regulatory frameworks surrounding online liability, duty of care and online harms. You will also learn about data protection in the context of surveillance and platform capitalism. You will design an intervention (policy/law change/product/campaign/other) to promote or enhance online safety within a public service or social network.  

3.1 Platform Potentials (20 Credits)

On this unit you will use Participatory Action Research and Digital Ethnography. to explore the role of online platforms in social change. You will hear from activists and initiators of online movements and discuss the current contexts of community empowerment, collective resistance, subversion and activism. You will study and present a SWOT analysis of an existing online movement, community or platform.

Term 4 Units:

4.1 Final Major Project (60 Credits) by prototype, project or thesis (pathway option)

Your final major project will take the form of a dissertation, business proposal, speculative design, or technical prototype that advances internet equality.

Learning and teaching methods

To enable students to demonstrate achievement against the unit learning outcomes, learning and teaching methods will include:

  • Project work
  • Peer learning & knowledge exchange
  • Collaborative problem-solving & group work
  • Studio/lab-based practice & masterclasses
  • Industry visits & guest critiques
  • Lectures and seminars

Watch the online open day

Fees and funding

Home fee

£12,700 for in-person mode; £10,160 for online mode

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry. Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£25,970 for in-person mode; £20,780 for online mode

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry. Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

An applicant will normally be considered for admission if they have achieved an educational level equivalent to an honours degree in either the broad field of science and technology studies, computer science, data science, computing, a joint computer sciences and arts/humanities degree, or a closely related subject. Or, from a creative discipline with substantial computational practice such as:

  • Graphic Design
  • Interaction Design
  • Interactive Media Design
  • Web Design
  • Communication Design
  • Digital Design
  • Product Design
  • Educational level may be demonstrated by:

Honours degree (named above);

Possession of equivalent qualifications in a design-related or creative discipline;

Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required. Your experience is assessed as a learning process and tutors will evaluate that experience for currency, validity, quality and sufficiency;

Or a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

Applicants without the required qualifications, but with professional experience may be eligible to gain credit for previous learning and experience through the AP(E)L system.

Language requirements (International/EU)
If English is not your first language, IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking. For more details, please check our main English Language requirements webpage.

Selection criteria

Sufficient prior knowledge and experience of and/or potential in a specialist subject area to be able to successfully complete the programme of study and have an academic or professional background in a relevant subject.

To show a willingness to work as a team player, good language skills in reading, writing and speaking, the ability to work independently and be self- motivated.

Critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject area and capacity for research-led study at the intersection of technology, design, and ethics.

We welcome non-standard applications from a diversity of applicants and subject fields and applications that make a strong case for how the course could be applied to the ambitions of the applicant in the pursuit of more equitable technology, will be prioritised. 

Apply now

You should apply by clicking on the link to the direct form below. The application form can be saved as you fill it out, so you do not need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you submit the application form.

Apply for in person mode

Apply for distance learning mode (online study)

Deferred entry

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

Transfers

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at UAL Creative Computing Institute, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and unit transcripts.

You will need to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

Start your application now

Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:

General information

  • Personal details (including legal full name, preferred name date of birth, nationality, addresses)
  • Current English language level
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience.

Personal statement advice

You will be asked to complete a personal statement describing why you want to study on MA Internet Equalities. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course.

The personal statement is a very important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in the subject and that you have thought very carefully about why you wish to study on the course.

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents through the portal. You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.

Please consider altering your spam or junk mail filter to ensure that emails from @arts.ac.uk get through to you.

Application deadline

19 December 2022 and 3 April 2023

Our equal consideration deadlines have now passed. This course will remain open to applications for 2023 entry until places have been filled. Please be aware that courses can close without notice.

We recommend you submit your application as early as possible to allow the Admissions team to resolve any initial queries about your application as quickly as possible.

When you'll hear from us

If this course requires a digital portfolio as part of the application process, you will be invited to submit this through UAL’s online submission tool, PebblePad. We will request this separately after initial processing of your application is complete. Once we request your portfolio, you will have 7 days to submit it.

Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. Find out more about what happens after you apply.

There are two ways international students can apply:

If you are applying directly you click on the link to the direct form below. The application form can be saved as you fill it out, so you do not need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you submit the application form.

Apply for in person mode

Apply for distance learning mode (online study)

You can only apply to the same course once per year.

Transfers

If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at UAL Creative Computing Institute, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and unit transcripts.

You will need to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.

Deferred entry

This course allows offer holders to defer. If you have an offer of a place, but you would like to defer starting for a year, please contact our Admissions Service as soon as possible via your UAL Portal. Make sure you check our Admissions Policy before requesting a deferral.

Visas

Read our visit our immigration and visa advice page to find out whether you need a visa to study.

Start your application now

Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:

General information

  • Personal details (including legal full name, preferred name, date of birth, nationality, addresses)
  • Current English language level
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience.

Personal statement advice

You will be asked to complete a personal statement describing why you want to study on MSc Data Science and AI for the Creative Industries. Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course.

The personal statement is a very important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in the subject and that you have thought very carefully about why you wish to study on the course.

Immigration history check

Whether you are applying online or through a UAL representative you will need to complete an immigration history check to establish whether you are eligible to study at UAL. If you do not complete the check we will not be able to proceed with your application.

We cannot consider your application if you do not provide all the information above.

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents through the portal. You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.

Please consider altering your spam or junk mail filter to ensure that emails from @arts.ac.uk get through to you.

Application deadline

19 December 2022 and 3 April 2023

Our equal consideration deadlines have now passed. This course will remain open to applications for 2023 entry until places have been filled. Please be aware that courses can close without notice.

We recommend you submit your application as early as possible to allow the Admissions team to resolve any initial queries about your application as quickly as possible.

When you'll hear from us

Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. Find out more about what happens after you apply.

After you apply

What happens next

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course.  Your application will be considered by an Academic Reviewer who may decide to make you an offer or reject your application.  In some cases we may invite you to an interview.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Portal.

Careers

Graduate attributes

Students from this course will be well positioned to enter industry as practitioners who can build more equitable products and businesses, or pursue a research career through PhD progression in this area.

Graduates will be:

  • Empathetic and care about social issues
  • Mission/value-led
  • Entrepreneurial
  • Equipped with design frameworks to address social issues
  • Equipped to do advocacy/policy work
  • Critical thinkers
  • Creative practitioners

Career paths

Graduates will be well placed to work in the following areas:

  • Technology Development
  • Technology Policy
  • Technology Research
  • Creative Critical Practice
  • Digital Product Development
  • Digital Project Management
  • User Research