Transformations in Digital Cultures
Full course description
This course focuses on ethics in the context of digitalisation and its the transformations caused by digitalisation for our society and culture. Digitalisation, the process of integrating digital technologies into all areas of our lives, has produced ethical new interfaceschallenges for between society, culture and doing social research. The theoretical framework concepts “technomoral change” and “sociotechnical imaginaries” will be introduced at the beginning of the course as possible theoretical frameworks for doing research in the field. Within these frameworks we will discuss topics such as ethics, morals and values, topics such as gendering AI, AI and robots, AI and creativity and digitalisation and sustainability.
Can we observe technomoral changes in the ways we deal with topics relevant for us as individuals, as communities or the environment (e.g. e-trash)? The methods introduced in this course are the qualitative interview and focus groups. Your task will be to conduct two interviews in English or conduct a focus group in English to investigate a topic related to this course more in depth. Training in the fundamentals of audio editing/recording will equip students with the professional skills necessary to produce a podcast. The podcast is used to present the results of the interviews/focus group. A written MECC exam at the end of the course will test knowledge of the theoretical concepts of the course and ask students to apply them to a specific example.
Course objectives
By the end of this course students will understand the theoretical frameworks of technomoral change and sociotechnical imaginaries. They will be trained in the qualitative method of the semistructured interview and focus group, Introduction in digital cultures; introduction to the theoretical frameworks technomoral change and sociotechnical imaginaries; introduction in problem based learning; introduction to qualitative interviewing and focus groups. As a media skills component, students will participate in audio editing/recording skills trainings, and produce a podcast in which they present the results from their interviews/focus group.
Recommended reading
- Benjamin, R. (202). Imagination. A Manifesto. Norton.
- Royakkers, L., Timmer, J., Kool, L., & van Est, R. (2018). Societal and Ethical Issues of Digitization. Ethics and Information Technology, 20(2), 127-142.
- Swierstra, T. (2015). Identifying the normative challenges posed by technology’s ‘soft’ impacts. Etikk i praksis. Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, 9(1), 5–20.
- See course book for further required and recommended reading.