Key Theories of Digital Culture

Postgraduate course

Course description

Objectives and Content

This course gives students an introduction to current theories and debate topics from the field of Digital Culture. The students will learn to orient themselves in a wide landscape of frameworks of understanding which they will be able to use to observe, depict and interpret the relationship between individuals, society and technology. Particular emphasis will be placed on the understanding of both digital objects (such as social media, digital art and literature) and the human encounter with the digital world. Through lectures and their own work, the students will learn to assess and use relevant theories in their master's studies and use these to examine concrete research material.

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

The candidate has knowledge of:

  • central texts within Digital culture
  • central theories and theoreticians within the field of Digital culture
  • central debate questions within Digital culture, for example around technology, body, identity, gender and ethnicity
  • current aesthetic, ethical and philosophical topics in Digital culture and related fields

Skills

The candidate can:

  • orientate themselves among competing approaches and design an independent approach to the field
  • compare competing frameworks of understanding and assess their relevance for a specific topic within Digital culture
  • design knowledge targets as a basis for method development in the master's degree project in Digital culture

General competence

The candidate can:

  • apply in-depth knowledge of academic writing including strategies for documentation and bibliography
  • criticize general perceptions in the media based on theory
  • formulate and convey this reflection to both an academic and a general audience

ECTS Credits

15

Level of Study

Master

Semester of Instruction

Fall

Place of Instruction

Bergen
Required Previous Knowledge
None
Recommended Previous Knowledge
Recommended prior courses include DIKULT104 or DIKULT251.
Credit Reduction due to Course Overlap
-
Access to the Course
The course is open to all students admitted to the Master's program in Digital Culture at UiB. Students on other master's programs at the University of Bergen can apply to the Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies to register for the course.
Teaching and learning methods

There are twenty weeks in a semester, where ten weeks usually have classes. In the weeks of teaching there will usually be a three hour seminar. The class schedule will be available by the beginning of the semester.

It is expected that students take active part in class discussion.

If fewer than five students are registered to a course, the department might reduce the teaching, please see the department's guidelines regarding this on Mitt UiB. Regarding a course where this is a possibility the students get information about this at the beginning of the semester, and before the deadline regarding semester registration 1.September.

Compulsory Assignments and Attendance

Attendance is mandatory for everything the course covers. Course participation is approved by the course supervisor. If the absence exceeds 25%, the student cannot take the exam.

Around seven smaller assignments are given as part of the course. These assignments are normally written work, such as text interpretations, analytical answers to given questions, case studies or fieldwork. They must be presented orally in the teaching individually or in groups. They are either approved or not approved. The course responsible approves.

The mandatory assignments are valid in the teaching semester.

Forms of Assessment
Term paper, approximately 4000 words.
Grading Scale
Grade scale A-F. An explanation of this scale can be found on Mitt UiB.
Assessment Semester
Fall
Reading List

The students must read an extensive common syllabus (equivalent to between 500 and 1000 pages) of books, articles, online texts and material, films and digital artefacts. Students must be prepared to read longer texts.

All material is usually in English. Students can use and refer to sources in other languages ¿¿in assignments.

Course Evaluation
Evaluation will be conducted in accordance with the University of Bergen's quality assurance system.
Examination Support Material
-
Programme Committee
-
Course Administrator
Department of Linguistic, Literary and Aesthetic Studies