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UAL Creative Computing Institute

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MA Internet Equalities

College
UAL CREATIVE COMPUTING INSTITUTE
Start date
October 2020
Course length
1 year 3 months full time (45 weeks across a four-term model)
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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

Course overview

The course provides students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds with the skills to understand and implement applied equality in technology development. We define internet equalities as socio-technical systems that explicitly oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, belief and ability.

More and more internet-based products, services, platform owners, communities and governments recognise the importance equality plays in developing technologies that can confront social problems such as racism, gender oppression and economic exclusion. Technology professionals who have critical and creative skills around human rights, inclusion and ethical design are in high demand as the industry shifts the narrative from what we could make to what we should make.

Theory and methods

Students explore a range of methods including Participatory Design, Feminist Human Computer Interaction, Digital Ethnography and Design Justice. You will learn how scholars and creative practitioners have used frameworks such as Intersectional Critical Race Technology Studies, Digital Feminism, Queer Theory and Postcolonial Science and Technology Studies to confront structures of oppression.

Work on practical projects and interventions that inform and are informed by the theories and methods taught, positioning you to enter the technology and creative industries or to pursue a research career through PhD progression in this area.

Learning environment

The course emphasises collaboration, openness, inclusion, diversity and solving issues as a community of learners. Short assignments within taught units will require students to collaborate, bringing together their unique perspectives, reaching mutual goals, respecting individual differences and bringing lived experiences to bear on their learning.

The staff team and reading lists are diverse, acknowledging the vital need for representation in promoting a fair and inclusive learning environment. Visiting practitioners from diverse backgrounds will present to students through lectures, seminars and studio visits.

Opportunities to work with mentors and industry professionals will give students unique insights into the technology sector, and support their career path within it.

Course units

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

How to apply

Opportunities for all

We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and to supporting all of our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you have a disability (e.g. mobility difficulties, sensory impairments, medical or mental health conditions or Asperger’s syndrome) we strongly encourage you to contact us on disability@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6156 so that we can plan the right support for you. All enquiries are treated confidentially. To find out more, visit our Disability & Dyslexia webpages.

Entry requirements

An applicant will normally be considered for admission if they have achieved an educational level equivalent to an honours degree in the broad fields of arts and humanities or the specific fields of science and technology studies, computer science, data science, computing, a joint computer sciences and arts/humanities degree. We also welcome application from a creative disciplines with substantial computational practice.

Educational level may be demonstrated by:

Honours degree (as 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.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • A combination of these factors

English language requirements

All classes are taught in English. If English isn't your first language you must provide evidence at enrolment of the following:

Selection criteria

We look for:

  • 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
  • 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 diverse research-led study at the intersection of technology, design, and ethics

We welcome non-standard applications from diverse 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.

Making your application

All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:

  • Firstly they will look at your qualifications and transcript (or projected results).
  • Secondly, they will review your personal statement.
  • There is no requirement for an academic or professional reference.

Required information for postgraduate course applications

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:

  • Personal details (including full name; date of birth; nationality; permanent address and English language level)
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history
  • CV
  • Personal statement

Start your application now

The online application can be saved as you fill it out, so you don’t 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 press submit.

Apply now

Application deadline

Applications are accepted and offers are made, throughout the year. Early application is advised.

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.

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.

Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.

This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.

All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:

  • Firstly they will look at your qualifications and transcript (or projected results).
  • Secondly, they will review your personal statement.
  • There is no requirement for an academic or professional reference.

Required information for postgraduate course applications

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:

  • Personal details (including full name; date of birth; nationality; permanent address and English language level)
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history
  • CV
  • Personal statement

Please note: we will ask you for copies of certain documents (for example, English language qualification/certificate and copies of any previous UK study visas).

For further advice on how to apply please visit the UAL International Application page.

Start your application now

The online application can be saved as you fill it out, so you don’t 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 press submit.

Apply now

Alternatively, international applicants can apply through one of our official representatives in your country

Application deadline

Applications are accepted and offers are made, throughout the year. Early application is advised.

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.

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.

Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.

This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.


Fees & Funding

Home / EU fee

£11,220 (2020/21).

UAL alumni receive a £1,000 discount

Course fees may be paid in instalments

International fee

£22,920 (2020/21).

UAL alumni receive a £1,000 discount

Course fees may be paid in instalments

Additional costs

In addition to tuition fees you are very likely to incur additional costs such as travel expenses and the cost of materials. Please read the information on our additional costs page.

Accommodation

Find out about the accommodation options available and how much they will cost.

Scholarships and awards

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Careers and alumni

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

UAL Creative Computing Institute

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Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 8001
Address
University of the Arts London (UAL)
45 - 65 Peckham Road
London
SE5 8UF