Postgraduate Course: Media and Culture (DESI11178)
Course Outline
| School | Edinburgh College of Art |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | Media and Culture introduces the intellectual and research context in which digital design and innovation take place. You will immerse yourself in contemporary debates about digital media, exploring how technologies shape creative practice, social life and cultural meaning, and vice versa. Through lectures and discussion, you will engage critically with topics such as social media, surveillance, affect and mobility, and develop a broad understanding of the cultural, social and philosophical dimensions of information and interaction in the context of MSc Design and Digital Media. |
| Course description |
Media and Culture examines how digital technologies, platforms and infrastructures shape contemporary life and creative practice. You will engage with key texts and debates in media theory, philosophy, cultural studies and design, considering topics such as networked publics, social media, surveillance capitalism, affect and mobility, ubiquitous computing, digital activism and the changing nature of work and creativity. Throughout the course, you will relate these debates to your own disciplinary interests and experiences, using them to critically reflect on the role of digital media in shaping bodies, spaces, identities and social relations.
A central emphasis is placed on reading and discussing influential theoretical and critical work on digital media. You will explore ideas about (including as examples, but not limited to) information, metaphor, interaction, play, truth, ethics and power are negotiated in digital environments. You will be encouraged to draw connections between theory and practice, and to consider how media theories can inform the design, critique and ethical evaluation of digital technologies and experiences. The course is closely integrated with the aims of MSc Design and Digital Media, providing a critical conceptual framework that complements more practice-focused courses.
The course is delivered on campus through a series of weekly three-hour in-person sessions which will combine lectures, class activities and group discussions. Additional content may be delivered as required via recorded content available online, seminars, workshops and online forums. You will be expected to complete set readings, short reflective tasks and preparatory activities prior to weekly sessions, and to contribute actively to discussion. The course is available both on campus and by distance, with learning activities and resources designed so that all students can participate fully. You will work towards two substantial coursework submissions that allow you to develop and communicate a critical perspective on a topic of your choice, using either written or multimodal formats.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This Course does not require any additional costs to be met by the Student. |
| Additional Costs | This Course does not require any additional costs to be met by the Student. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Online Activities 6,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 4,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
153 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
This course has 2 assessment components.
Submission 1: Critical media analysis, 1600 word or equivalent multimodal submission, 40%, mid semester (weeks 5¿7), assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, and 4. Individually assessed. Students may submit an essay or an agreed alternative media format such as a video essay, podcast or other digital artefact of equivalent effort and depth.
Submission 2: Extended media project, 2400 word or equivalent multimodal submission, 60%, end of semester (December exam diet), assessed against Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 4. Individually assessed. Students may submit an essay or an agreed alternative media format such as a video essay, podcast or other digital artefact of equivalent effort and depth.
Further information:
Submission 1: Students develop a focused critical response to a selected topic, concept or case study in digital media, building directly on course readings and discussions. This provides a foundation for Submission 2.
Submission 2: Students extend and deepen their work from Coursework 1 or pursue a related topic, demonstrating sustained engagement with relevant literature and a clear critical position in relation to digital media and culture. |
| Feedback |
Formative Feedback
Formative feedback will be provided through weekly seminar and discussion activities, where students receive oral feedback from the course organiser, tutors and peers on their interpretations of readings and case studies. In the first half of the course, students will be invited to share and briefly discuss draft ideas, outlines or short extracts for Submission 1, receiving oral or brief written comments to support the development of their argument and choice of format. Students may also seek additional feedback during staff office hours on plans for Submission 2, for example by discussing how to extend or reframe their initial analysis in ways that connect with other MSc Design and Digital Media work.
Summative Feedback
Summative feedback will be provided in writing by the course organiser and tutors following each submission. Feedback on Submission 1 will focus on the clarity of argument, engagement with theory and effectiveness of the chosen format, and will help students identify areas for development when planning and producing Submission 2. Summative feedback for Coursework 2 will comment on students¿ ability to extend and deepen their earlier work, or to apply course concepts to a related topic, and on the overall coherence of their critical perspective.
Summative feedback will be provided according to University regulations. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Critically analyse key theoretical and philosophical debates about digital media technologies, systems and platforms, and relate them to concrete contemporary examples.
- Synthesise and evaluate academic and other sources to construct a coherent, well evidenced argument about a selected aspect of digital media and culture.
- Communicate critical insights about digital media effectively in written or multimodal formats, using appropriate scholarly conventions and referencing where relevant.
- Reflect on the social, ethical and political implications of digital media and articulate how these considerations inform their own disciplinary practice or research interests within MSc Design and Digital Media and related fields.
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Reading List
Benjamin, R., 2022. Viral justice: How we grow the world we want.
Coyne, Richard. 2010. The Tuning of Place: Sociable Spaces and Pervasive Digital Media. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Coyne, Richard. 2016. Mood and Mobility: Navigating the Emotional Spaces of Digital Social Networks. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Dourish, Paul, and Genevieve Bell. 2011. Divining a Digital Future: Mess and Mythology in Ubiquitous Computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
Morozov, Evgeny. 2011. The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the World. London: Allen Lane.
Sadowski, J., 2020.¿Too smart: How digital capitalism is extracting data, controlling our lives, and taking over the world. mit Press.
Turkle, Sherry. 2011. Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other. New York: Basic Books.
Zuboff, Shoshana. 2019. The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. London: Profile Books. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
The course supports the development of several Skills for Success in the context of critical study of digital media and culture:
Critical thinking and problem solving: Engaging closely with key texts in media theory, philosophy and cultural studies, and applying them to concrete examples of digital platforms, infrastructures and practices, requires students to question assumptions, compare competing arguments and construct well evidenced critical positions in their coursework.
Curiosity: Weekly readings, lectures and seminar discussions invite students to explore new and sometimes challenging perspectives on topics such as social media, surveillance, mobility and digital activism, encouraging them to ask searching questions and to connect ideas about digital media with their own creative and professional interests.
Communication: Producing written or multimodal coursework (for example essays, video essays or podcasts) about digital media debates supports students in conveying complex concepts clearly and persuasively to different audiences, using appropriate scholarly conventions and media.
Reflection: Structured class activities and the progression from the first to the second summative submission help students to review their developing understanding of digital media, recognise how their own values and experiences shape their interpretations, and identify how critical insights can inform their design or research practice on MSc Design and Digital Media and related programmes. |
| Keywords | social media,design,digital media,technology,philosophy,critical theory,surveillance,platform studie |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Andrew Connor
Tel: (0131 6)50 2808
Email: Andrew.Connor@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Barbara Bianchi
Tel: (0131 6)51 5736
Email: barbara.bianchi@ed.ac.uk |
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