Thinking Digitally and Culturally

Why should I take this Trinity Elective? 

We use technology every day.  But our thrill at seeing science fiction ideas – like 24-7 information access and AI agents - become reality is offset by concerns about phenomena like filter bubbles, privacy breaches, and sustainable technologies.

The relationships and tensions between the cultural elements of our lives, like our languages, values and creative practices, and the technological innovations that are now both driving and disrupting them are hard to untangle.  To do so requires you not only to be able to understand both technology and culture, but to be able to think both like a humanist and like an engineer. 

In this Trinity Elective you will learn how to apply an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the world, based on an approach known as the digital humanities, which spans the gap between fields focused on culture and technology. 

What will I learn? 

On completion of this Trinity Elective, you will be able to: 

• Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches to knowledge creation,
• Expand your own ways of learning and knowing,
• Demonstrate an ability to think and act in an informed way with regards to technology and culture. 
• Produce a group project to analyse how different, potentially contradictory, standpoints exist on concepts, such as data, truth, fact and narrative,
• Evaluate outcomes of multidisciplinary work in an informed way. 

What will I do? 

• Attend a series of masterclass lectures and multidisciplinary workshop sessions in person
• Enhance your understanding of current issues through assigned online course readings, asynchronous video lectures, and other materials to review
• Participate in discipline-focused reflections on the issues presented in the lectures and readings
• Contribute to a multidisciplinary student-led group project
• Carry out a peer assessment review exercise online 

How will this be delivered? 

• A hybrid of video-based online and live delivery of expert masterclass lectures  and/or panel discussions
• In-class and self-organised multi-disciplinary group analyses of complex sociotechnical issues
• Course readings and online viewing materials

How will this be assessed? 

• Multi-disciplinary groups will produce a group project. (50%)
• Personal reflection of interdisciplinary learning (25%)
• Peer assessment of group project (15%)
• Personal reflection on group project (10%)

Who can take this Trinity Elective? 

Any student eligible to take a Trinity Elective can select this Trinity Elective. 

* Please note that assessment methods, assessment weightings and amount of contact hours are subject to change by the module coordinator. You can confirm all assessment details and expected contact hours with the module coordinator upon starting the elective.