Digital Society MSc

Programme description

This programme will provide you with a rigorous introduction to the sociological study of digital society and digital culture. The programme will introduce you to the core theoretical and methodological issues that arise when sociologists investigate the increasing prevalence of digital technology, digital infrastructure, and data production, capture, and analysis in everyday life. It will also allow you to study the very social conditions (economic, political, and cultural) that give rise to such technologies and their circuits of power. Students in this programme may take up the following specialised topics, including (but not limited to) the sociological analysis of digital technology and new forms of data on the fields of contemporary culture, work and labour, leisure, health, education, government and law, and finance.

While this programme will be primarily suitable for those with some background in the social sciences, the MSc in Digital Society is intended for anyone who wants to understand, as well as learn to study, analyse, and critique digital technologies and the complex ways in which they shape society, social institutions, and culture. The degree combines seminar teaching on specific topics with individual research supervision by leading researchers in the emerging field of “Digital Sociology”, in the UK’s top-ranked department for sociological research.

Learning outcomes

As well as providing students with , studying for this degree will allow you:

• A foreground the sociological analysis of digital technology, digital media, and the social relations they engender.
• To foster critical analysis of the social, economic, and political conditions that give rise to digital technology/media and data infrastructures.
• To engage with, as well as critically assess, digital research tools and platforms via the necessary methodological training.
• A focused academic background in social and cultural theory, as relevant to the study of digital society.
• To become conversant in the digital research methods relevant to their topic of study, with an emphasis on cultivating the ability to assess the social impact of such research.
• To engage with ethical issues that are raised by digital sociological work.

Career opportunities

This degree is well-positioned for a wide range of careers in the public, private, and third sectors. It is particularly relevant for those who have aspirations for a career in digital research or digital media design and development. The programme is also key for those who wish to engage with digital technology and data in their own personal lives or on a wider scale as an activist, artist, manager, practitioner, or policy maker. You may go on to undertake roles in social media analysis, Internet research, journalism, education, and law and government. The programme also offers a route to a PhD programme in social research. You will gain highly transferable skills in research, communication, and project management applicable to roles in many fields.

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.