Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Seminar | 11 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 1 x 2,500 word essay | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Acquire interdisciplinary perspectives and broad-based analytical skills.
2. Develop an ability to draw upon different observational and explanatory strategies in the subject field.
3. Achieve a capacity to engage with complex and interrelated systems of communication in an appropriately integrated manner.
4. Explore the synergy between the intermediary nature of an increasingly interconnected society and the mediated techniques by which it can be studied and appraised.
5. Assess the debates that have arisen over the psychological, neurological and developmental effects of internet communications.
6. Assess the operational dimensions ? as well as the theoretical, philosophical and ethical implications ? of modern data-collection technology and information sharing networks.
Brief description
This module will introduce students to the key issues and debates in the emerging area of modern communications studies and Cyber Politics ? that is, the study of the creation and functioning of new communications technologies (such as the internet, digital technology and multiple media platforms) and their impact on social, cultural and political life. The module will provide students with the opportunity to explore both the broader generic issues raised by these technologies and their applications as well as some of the implications of their operational and analytical synergies.
Aims
This module will constitute one of the basket options for the new degree scheme in 'The Politics of the Internet' (formerly 'Connectivity'), which will be taught in the academic year 2013-2014.
Content
Session 2: Cyber Connectivity (ii):
Session 3: The promises of transformation
Session 4: The rise of cyber-crime and cyber security
Session 5: 'The global threat of the 21st century'
Session 6: The internet and the law
Session 7: New technologies and the challenges of mediation
Session 8: Connectivity and issues of power
Session 9: The nature and direction of cyber's revolutionary road
Session 10: Civilian and military crossovers: Two sides of the same coin?
Session 11: Revision and Overview
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Students will learn how to present their ideas both verbally and in writing. They will be required not only to acquire information and make academic judgements about it but also to communicate their analytical conclusions clearly and effectively. They will learn to consider only that which is relevant to the topic, focus and objectives of their argument or discussion. Some of the teaching sessions will involve small group discussions in which all students will be required to participate and communicate. Students will be expected to submit their work in word-processed format and the presentation of work should reflect effective expression of ideas and good use of language skills in order to ensure clarity, coherence and effective communication. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | The module aims to promote self-management but within a context of assistance from both the academic staff and the fellow students alike. Students will be expected to improve their own learning and performance by undertaking their own research and to exercise their own initiative, including searching for sources and deciding (under guidance) the topic of their essays. The need to meet deadlines for assessed work will focus students' attention on the need to manage their time. |
| Information Technology | Familiarity with the applications of the Internet and social media will form a crucial part of this module. Students will be expected to make extensive use of a range of technologies used in modern communication during the course. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | An important focus of the module is on the impact of the Internet and social media on business and enterprise as well as how national governments are responding to these transformative effects. |
| Problem solving | Independent project work and problem solving will be one of the central goals of the module; all the forms of assessment will require that the student develop problem-solving skills. The ability of students to solve problems will be developed and assessed by asking them to: examine issues from differing points of view; organize data and estimate an answer to problems; reason logically; construct theoretical models; consider similar cases; look for patterns; divide issues into smaller problems. |
| Research skills | The assignments will require the students to develop their research skills in order to locate appropriate research resources and present the results in a coherent and analytical manner. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Students have the opportunity to develop, practice and test a wide range of skills that are specific to the subjects that contribute to this module. These skills will help them to understand, conceptualise and evaluate examples and ideas about the internet and social media. Such subject specific skills include: Collect and understand a wide range of data relating to the topic Evaluate competing perspectives Demonstrate subject specific research techniques Apply a range of methodologies to complex problems |
| Team work | Team-work skills are an essential component of this module. Students will frequently be required to work together during teaching sessions. Much of the core learning students will do will come through sharing and debating their ideas with their peers. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7