Term 1:
Unit 1.1 - Intersectional Internets (20 Credits)
In this unit students will explore how power relations are organized, embedded and perpetuated in internet technologies, and how they can be re-organized or challenged.
Unit 1.2 - Methods for ethical technology development (20 credits)
Supported by seminars, workshops and exploratory practice, this unit will build a methodological foundation for engaging and experimenting with ethical technology development.
Unit 1.3 - Feminist computational practices (20 credits)
In this unit students will be introduced to Javascript, Twitter bots and Python, considering how feminist approaches can frame the practice of coding.
Term 2 and 3:
Unit 2.1 (Optional) - Computational Inequalities (20 Credits)
In this unit students will explore subjects like AI bias using relevant technical coding frameworks that underpin contemporary machine learning systems.
Unit 2.2 (Optional) - Designing for Responsible Innovation (20 Credits)
In this unit students will explore strategies of change including social and political entrepreneurship, activism and grassroots organization, and how they intersect with responsible approaches to innovation.
Unit 2.3 - Human Rights and Computation (20 Credits)
This unit explores how organisations and individuals involved in building, maintaining and consuming internet technologies can actively internalise and implement human rights principles in order to uphold democracy.
Unit 3.1 - Platform Potentials (20 Credits)
This unit explores the role of internet platforms, cultures and communities in bringing about social change. Students will learn about the tactics and goals of internet activism, and consider their value and effectiveness at intervening in dominant political orders.
Term 4:
Unit 4.1 - MA Advanced Project (60 Credits)
Students’ final major project will be a self-directed project in the form of a dissertation, business proposal, speculative design, or technological prototype.
Learning and teaching methods
- Project work
- Peer learning and knowledge exchange
- Collaborative problem-solving and group work
- Studio/lab-based practice and masterclasses
- Industry visits and guest critiques
- Lectures and seminars
Assessment methods
- Project portfolio comprising of technical prototypes, pitches, presentations, documentation of collaborative processes (online, face to face and blended)
- Peer and self-assessment
- Critical essays and articles