6 EC
Semester 2, period 4
5294SHDL6Y
| Owner | Master Information Studies |
| Coordinator | prof. dr. Judith Good PhD |
| Part of | Master Information Studies, track Data Science, year 1Master Information Studies, track Information Systems, year 1 |
The main goal of the course is to investigate various facets of human interaction with digital technologies in everyday life. In particular, after completing the course, students will be able to critically reflect on the ways in which digital technologies influence various aspects of our lives, both individually and as a society. The course content will be conveyed and illustrated through the following six “lenses”, which represent domains that may be impacted by digital technology:
The exploration of these topics will be based on research articles and real-world examples, culminating in an individual research report conducted by the students themselves. This report will require students to consider current and predicted changes in digital life and, using one or more of the above lenses, reflect on implications for our future digital lives.
Literature: Literature for each of the six “lenses” (as well as relevant introductory readings) will be made available on Canvas.
The format of the course is as follows: each week there will be one lecture (2 hours) and one seminar (two hours).
Lecture: During the lectures, we will explore digital technologies through one of the six lenses (above). The lecture will cover the main points from the assigned literature for that week, and give you an opportunity to ask questions you may have about the articles.
Seminar: each week during the seminar, you will work in small groups (approx. 3-5 students) to consider the prediction(s) that you have chosen to explore through the particular lens for that week (e.g. inclusion, sustainability, etc.). Each group will then provide a short summary of their discussion to the whole class.
You will also be asked, at certain seminars, to submit a deliverable related to your report so that you can receive feedback from your peers and from the seminar tutor(s).
Activity | Hours | |
Hoorcollege | 14 | |
Presentatie | 2 | |
Werkcollege | 14 | |
Self study | 138 | |
Total | 168 | (6 EC x 28 uur) |
In TER part B of this programme no requirements regarding attendance are mentioned.
Additional requirements for this course:
Attendance at the lectures is highly recommended.
Attendance at the seminars is compulsory. You may miss one seminar without penalty. After this, any seminars missed will result in up to 5% being deducted from the overall mark. Therefore, if you are unable to attend any further seminars due to serious circumstances, you must liaise with your seminar tutor as soon as possible in order to avoid penalty.
| Item and weight | Details | Remarks |
|
Final grade | ||
|
0.3 (30%) Seminar participation and research report deliverables | Requires active participation in at least 6 (of 7) seminars, and submission of relevant report deliverables as indicated in the course schedule | |
|
0.5 (50%) Research report | ||
|
0.2 (20%) Artefact creation and presentation |
Seminar participation and research report deliverables
This is an individual grade which accounts for 30% of the total grade. Each week students are required to actively participate in the seminar. They are also required to submit interim research report deliverables (in weeks 2-7). The purpose of these deliverables is to obtain weekly peer and tutor feedback, and thus strengthen the final research report. Students may miss one seminar session and one project deliverable without penalty. After that, if they will be absent or are experiencing difficulties submitting a deliverable, they must contact the seminar tutor in order to avoid penalty.
Research report
This is an individual assignment worth 50% of the total grade. Students submit a report at the end of week 8 which examines a specific prediction from the PEW report through one (or more) of the course “lenses”. In the event that students fail this element of the course, the resit will consist of a resubmission of an improved report (based on tutor feedback). Note that the grade for the resubmitted report will be capped at 7.0.
Research artefact
This is an individual assignment worth 20% of the overall grade. Students will create an artefact of their choice which communicates the content of their research poster to the general public. The choice of format is up to the student (e.g. podcast/video/interactive prototype/poster). The artefacts will be presented in the final lecture session in week 8.
Students must obtain an average of 5.5 across all three assessment elements in order to pass the course.
see above (under "Assessments").
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
|
Wk |
Topic/Lens |
Reading Material |
Seminar Content |
Seminar Deliverable |
|
1 |
Introduction to the course and setting the stage |
See Canvas module |
Introduction of PEW theses Group formation for PEW theses (25 min) Group discussion (30 min) Group report back |
Active participation in group discussion/report back |
|
2 |
Social Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Conceptual synthesis spreadsheet (individual) |
|
3 |
Hybrid Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Bullet point draft (individual) |
|
4 |
Young Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Iterated conceptual synthesis spreadsheet (individual) |
|
5 |
Playful Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Initial first draft (individual) |
|
6 |
Inclusive Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Iterated draft (individual) |
|
7 |
Sustainable Digital Lives |
See Canvas module
|
Group discussion of how lens applies to their thesis (40 min) Group report back (30 min) Feedback on research report deliverable (30 min) |
Active participation in group discussion/report back Iterated draft (individual) Summary of planned artefact submission (individual) |
|
8 |
Science communication artefact presentations | No readings |
Presentations of science communication artefact |
Final submission of camera-ready research report (individual) Final submission of accompanying science communication artefact (individual) |
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.