CS220-5-AU-CO:
Navigating the Digital World
2023/24
Philosophical, Historical and Interdisciplinary Studies (School of)
Colchester Campus
Autumn
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
15
15 September 2023
Requisites for this module
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(none)
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This module is designed to provide you with the practical skills required to navigate the increasingly digital world we live in, and to open up an important critical, interdisciplinary space.
Students will be encouraged to consider its legal, ethical, social, political, creative and economic implications.
The aims of this module are:
- To acquire specific skills in the use of digital tools and online platforms.
- To introduce selected debates surrounding the development and use of digital technologies.
- To gain a critical understanding of the ethical, technical and social dimensions in the development and use of digital technologies.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Have a deeper understanding of digital literacies, as well as the confidence and ability to use a broad range of digital technologies.
- Be able to discuss the material covered on the module and to demonstrate this competence through coursework, seminar discussions and the creation of a digital portfolio.
- Understand the topics and debates that are central to the digital world.
- Have the confidence in using a number of specialised terms and terminology on digital technologies.
- Be able to distinguish elements of continuity and disjuncture in the development of digital technologies.
- Understand the impacts of digital technologies on society and human life.
What does it mean to be a "digital citizen"? As increasing portions of our personal and professional lives are played out online, acquiring the ability to effectively use digital interfaces and think critically about them is an ever more urgent task, as well as a topic of fierce debate. While some allege that digital technologies are a root cause of a "post-fact" era filled with "fake news" that limits our worldview, others see in them the key to unlocking social change and bringing people together in new ways and across geographical boundaries.
The digital revolution is constantly reshaping our world in a myriad of ways: from surveillance laws to social mobilisation; from innovative business models to open access information; from warfare strategy to medical treatment. Not only this, the way we construct our individual identities, build communities, protect human rights, and promote the humanities is increasingly mediated through online platforms, and contingent on the uneven access that global communities have to technology.
Some of the key questions we will be addressing are:
- How are digital technologies transforming society?
- To what extent do digital technologies curb or enhance our rights and freedom?
- What digital skills are needed for the knowledge economy and a democratic society?
- How can we build and use our online identities?
- How might we use digital technologies as creative and engaging forms of communication?
This module will be delivered via:
- One 2-hour session in an IT Lab.
The Technology-Enhanced Learning Team (TELT) will lead the sessions. Each session will provide training in a specific topic such as digital identities, e-safety, blogging, social media, multimedia production, and intelligent search strategies. Throughout the term, students will build a digital portfolio which will include a reflective report on their past, present and future use of technology.
There will also be a Reading Week in each term when no teaching will take place, exact weeks to be confirmed.
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Proctor-Thomson, S.B. (2013) ‘Gender disruptions in the digital industries?’,
Culture and Organization, 19(2), pp. 85–104. Available at:
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14759551.2012.754222.
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Coleman, E.G. and Golub, A. (2008) ‘Hacker practice’,
Anthropological Theory, 8(3), pp. 255–277. Available at:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1463499608093814.
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Lee, I. (2017) ‘Big data: Dimensions, evolution, impacts, and challenges’,
Business Horizons, 60(3), pp. 293–303. Available at:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007681317300046.
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Guinchard, A. (2011) ‘Between Hype and Understatement: Reassessing Cyber Risks as a Security Strategy’,
Journal of Strategic Security, 4(2), pp. 75–95. Available at:
http://repository.essex.ac.uk/4289/1/viewcontent.pdf.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Digital Portfolio |
|
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Krisztian Hofstadter, email: k.hofstadter@essex.ac.uk.
PHAIS General Office - 6.130; isugadmin@essex.ac.uk.
Yes
Yes
Yes
No external examiner information available for this module.
Available via Moodle
Of 37 hours, 11 (29.7%) hours available to students:
26 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s), module, or event type.
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