BA Digital Media, Culture and Society / Course details

Year of entry: 2024

Course description

The programme includes four foundational course units in the first year of study, ‘Thinking Digital Media', ‘History of Big Data' and ‘Researching in the Digital Age' I & II. These units will equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to think, learn and research from a digital media perspective.

Further core units in subsequent years include: ‘Big Questions in the Digital World', ‘Researching with Digital Methods' (Y2) and ‘Digital Futures' (Final Year). These units will familiarise students with contemporary issues and debates concerning digital technology, broaden their digital skills, and inspire them to devise creative solutions to digital challenges. Students will also produce an independent research project (dissertation) in their final year of study.

Additionally, students will be able to take optional units to expand their knowledge and skills according to their interests. These additional units will be offered from within and beyond the Digital Media programme, expanding such topics as race; gender and sexuality; climate change; fake news and disinformation; activism and social change; visual communication; and mobility. There will also be an opportunity for students to undertake a year-long work placement.

Aims

Have you ever thought about how the dating world changed from newspaper ads to swiping right on an app? Or how the rise of fake news across social platforms can be detrimental to the political landscape? Or maybe you think about how the digitalisation of currency will impact us in years to come?

The BA Digital Media, Culture and Society examines how the digital revolution is reshaping our world, leaving many benefitting from the changes, while others are becoming increasingly marginalised.

Those who enrol on the course will explore the ways digital developments have influenced our lives and gain the tools and inspiration to craft innovative solutions to digital challenges - putting them at the cutting edge of advancements in the modern world.

Teaching and learning

Students will learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, and workshops, spending approximately 12 hours a week in study sessions.

For every hour of university study, you will be expected to complete a further 2-3 hours of independent study. The individual study component could be spent reading, producing written or creative work, and collaborating with other students on projects.

Coursework and assessment

In the programme, you will learn not only how digital media is changing everyday life across the globe, but also what novel insights and interpretations can be gained by employing digital tools, including new algorithmic techniques, big data analytics, visual methods, and other digitally native approaches.

You will use cutting-edge digital software to make sense of digital transformations, interrogate our increasingly datafied cultural records, and offer creative answers to burning social and cultural questions.

Performance will be evaluated through a variety of traditional and creative assessments, including essays, reports, presentations, policy briefs, and digital creative projects alongside undertaking a dissertation project in your final year.

Course content for year 1

In your first year, you'll start by learning the basics of digital media from critical, inclusive, and interdisciplinary perspectives. You'll understand how digital media fits into a global context. As you move into your second and final years, you can dive deeper into specific topics of interest through optional modules.

You will cover four core modules:

  • Thinking Digital Media
  • Histories of Data
  • Researching in the Digital Age I
  • Researching in the Digital Age II

Course content for year 2

Students will be able to identify and debate key arguments on how digital media affects culture and society while showing an in-depth understanding of particular subjects of interest. With the knowledge gained, you will apply advanced digital tools, methods and approaches to a broad range of topics.

You will cover two core modules:

  • Big Questions in the Digital World
  • Researching with Digital Methods

You will also prepare for a placement year, should you wish to take that option, where you can put your skills and knowledge into practice in industry.

Course content for year 3

Your optional placement year will be in a digital media or technology-related organisation, where you will apply program knowledge and skills in real-world situations and gain insights into program topics. Organisations could include those within the entertainment industry, social media, journalism, or within the public sector.

This offers valuable work experience and a chance to showcase communication, collaboration, and leadership skills in a professional setting.

Course content for year 4

You will be able to apply key theories to real-world situations, including an independent research project, whilst you'll utilise your skills in diverse contexts through creative, independent, and collaborative projects.

You will cover two core modules:

  • Digital Futures
  • Dissertation

Scholarships and bursaries

UK students may be able to access support from the University in the form of several scholarships and forms of funding. International students will have access to such schemes as Global Futures Scholarship and Humanitarian Scholarship .

Facilities

Throughout your degree, you will be able to make use of dedicated Digital Media Labs, attend events organized by the Centre for Digital Humanities, and engage with the University's Digital Futures initiative.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service. Email: dass@manchester.ac.uk