Digital Culture and Everyday Life (DIG504)

Digital innovation and digital technologies are creating new ways of understanding and creating knowledge. The course focuses on the novelties and transformations, as well as challenges and unprecedented possibilities, that digital media bring to our everyday lives. Focusing on the emerging online digital culture, the course asks how digital technologies are shaping everyday life at the level of groups, as well as institutions. We will explore the ways in which media and everyday life are intertwined, thereby tackling broader socio-political questions, ranging from experiences of everyday space, time and mobility to the impacts of digital media on self and identity, and the broader environmental, infrastructural and social impacts of digital technologies. The course applies sociological theories to analyse popular internet culture and its self-expression, relationships, social practices in an emerging technological form.


Course description for study year 2023-2024

Facts

Course code

DIG504

Version

1

Credits (ECTS)

10

Semester tution start

Autumn

Number of semesters

1

Exam semester

Autumn

Language of instruction

English

Offered by
Time table

View course schedule

Content

The course will engage with some of the most exciting and pressing issues of our time such as networked societies, digital activism, the cultural and creative economy, future cities, surveillance ethics and privacy on social media networks, as well as social wellbeing, identity, and stratification. By focusing on cultural and sociological impacts of digital media we will look at institutions (i.e., family, governments, ministries), peoples (i.e., individuals) and groups (i.e., activists, environmentalists, companies). With the guests invited from the Stavanger and the Rogaland region IT service community we will discuss the regional challenges in digitalism.

Learning outcome

It is expected that the students after completing the course will have the following knowledge, skills, and general competencies.

Knowledge

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to have acquired knowledge of:

  • What digital culture, cyber culture means.
  • The impact of digital in everyday life.
  • The new forms of public life – citizenship and surveillance. 
  • Network culture and traditional demographic factors (gender/race/class).

Skills

In this course, the students will obtain:

  • Ability to discuss different perspectives on digital culture and everyday life, and demonstrate a range of analytical, critical, collaborative practice and professional skills relevant to the digital culture and media sectors.
  • Ability to work with diverse disciplinary and professional paradigms.
  • Understand how cultural, social and economic differences operate in digital environments.

General competencies

Upon completion of the course, the student can:

  • Critically reflect on how advances in digital media shape our cultural, political, and social lives.
  • Apply critical thinking and problem-solving skills, give presentations, and master data management.
  • Design and implement a research plan

Required prerequisite knowledge

None

Exam

Form of assessment Weight Duration Marks Aid
Term Paper 1/1 1 Semesters Letter grades All

Coursework requirements

Compulsory assignments
Group work and presentation. All exam requirements must be approved to qualify for the final exam in the course.

Course teacher(s)

Course coordinator:

Hande Eslen Ziya

Study Adviser:

Magda Hognestad

Method of work

Weekly seminars and lectures.

Open for

Digital Society and Societal Transformations - Master's Degree Programme

Course assessment

There must be an early dialogue between the course supervisor, the student union representative and the students. The purpose is feedback from the students for changes and adjustments in the course for the current semester.In addition, a digital subject evaluation must be carried out at least every three years. Its purpose is to gather the students experiences with the course.

Literature

The syllabus can be found in Leganto