MA Internet Equalities
University of the Arts London
Key Information
Campus location
London, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
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Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
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Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Introduction
MA Internet Equalities
The course provides students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds with the skills to understand and implement applied equality in technology development. We define internet equalities as socio-technical systems that explicitly oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, belief and ability.
More and more internet-based products, services, platform owners, communities and governments recognise the importance equality plays in developing technologies that can confront social problems such as racism, gender oppression and economic exclusion. Technology professionals who have critical and creative skills around human rights, inclusion and ethical design are in high demand as the industry shifts the narrative from what we could make to what we should make.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Term 1:
Unit 1.1 - Intersectional Internets
In this unit students will explore how power relations are organized, embedded and perpetuated in internet technologies, and how they can be re-organized or challenged.
Unit 1.2 - Methods for ethical technology development
Supported by seminars, workshops and exploratory practice, this unit will build a methodological foundation for engaging and experimenting with ethical technology development.
Unit 1.3 - Feminist computational practices
In this unit students will be introduced to Javascript, Twitter bots and Python, considering how feminist approaches can frame the practice of coding.
Term 2 and 3:
Unit 2.1 (Optional) - Computational Inequalities
In this unit students will explore subjects like AI bias using relevant technical coding frameworks that underpin contemporary machine learning systems.
Unit 2.2 (Optional) - Designing for Responsible Innovation
In this unit students will explore strategies of change including social and political entrepreneurship, activism and grassroots organization, and how they intersect with responsible approaches to innovation.
Unit 2.3 - Human Rights and Computation
This unit explores how organisations and individuals involved in building, maintaining and consuming internet technologies can actively internalise and implement human rights principles in order to uphold democracy.
Unit 3.1 - Platform Potentials
This unit explores the role of internet platforms, cultures and communities in bringing about social change. Students will learn about the tactics and goals of internet activism, and consider their value and effectiveness at intervening in dominant political orders.
Term 4:
Unit 4.1 - MA Advanced Project
Students’ final major project will be a self-directed project in the form of a dissertation, business proposal, speculative design, or technological prototype.
Program Outcome
- Project work
- Peer learning and knowledge exchange
- Collaborative problem-solving and group work
- Studio/lab-based practice and masterclasses
- Industry visits and guest critiques
- Lectures and seminars
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Graduates will be well placed to work in the following areas:
- Technology Development
- Technology Policy
- Technology Research
- Creative Critical Practice
- Digital Product Development
- Digital Project Management
- User Research
Program delivery
Course length: 1 year 3 months full time (45 weeks across a four-term model)