PL22067: The politics of technology: disruption, regulation, misinformation
[Page last updated: 03 June 2024]
| Academic Year: | 2024/25 |
| Owning Department/School: | Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies |
| Credits: | 5 [equivalent to 10 CATS credits] |
| Notional Study Hours: | 100 |
| Level: | Intermediate (FHEQ level 5) |
| Period: |
- Semester 1
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| Assessment Summary: | CWRI 100% |
| Assessment Detail: |
- Report Individual (CWRI 100%)
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| Supplementary Assessment: |
- Like-for-like reassessment (where allowed by programme regulations)
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| Requisites: |
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| Learning Outcomes: |
By the end of this unit, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the history of technological innovation and the political crises that they have helped to shape;
- Understand the role played by technology in politics today and discern the challenges that they bring to voters, democracies and social movements;
- Explain and critically assess the main theoretical approaches in the academic literature on technology;
- Recognise the inherent racial, gender and class biases of technology;
- Evaluate the debate on the regulation of tech companies, analyse policy propositions, and learn about the latest technological innovation (social media algorithms, drones, blockchain, etc.);
- Critically engage with alternative futures enabled by contemporary and prospective technologies.
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| Synopsis: | "Explore the relationship between technology and politics. Learn about moments in the history of technology; the problems of adjustments between social and technical systems; and emerging potentialities and alternative futures.
You will develop the skills to critically analyse technological disruption, and (potential) regulation in a wide range of areas. These include:
- artificial intelligence
- social media
- blockchain
- autonomous systems"
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| Content: | Indicative content of the unit:
History of technology
Problematisation of technology: theoretical and critical perspectives
Ideology and technology: the invention of cyberspace and the World Wide Web in the 1990s
The power of the algorithm and digital bias
Surveillance and platform capitalism
Social media and fake news
Technology in world politics
Technology and regulation
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| Course availability: |
PL22067 is Optional on the following courses:
Department of Economics
- UHES-AFB11 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Politics (Year 2)
- UHES-AKB11 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Politics with professional placement (Year 2)
- UHES-AKB11 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Politics with professional placement and study abroad (Year 2)
- UHES-AKB11 : BSc(Hons) Economics with Politics with study abroad (Year 2)
Department of Politics, Languages and International Studies
- UHPL-AKB67 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio French) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB68 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio German) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB71 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio Italian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB72 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio Mandarin) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB70 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio Russian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB69 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (ab initio Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB67 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (French) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB68 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (German) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB69 : BA(Hons) International Politics and Modern Languages (Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB55 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & ab initio German) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB58 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & ab initio Italian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB59 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & ab initio Mandarin) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB57 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & ab initio Russian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB56 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & ab initio Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB55 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & German) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB56 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (French & Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB55 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & ab initio French) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB62 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & ab initio Italian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB63 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & ab initio Mandarin) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB61 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & ab initio Russian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB60 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & ab initio Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB60 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (German & Spanish) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB56 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio French) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB60 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio German) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB65 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Italian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB66 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Mandarin) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB64 : BA(Hons) Modern Languages (Spanish & ab initio Russian) with year abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AFB53 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB53 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations with professional placement (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB53 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations with professional placement and study abroad (Year 2)
- UHPL-AKB53 : BSc(Hons) Politics and International Relations with study abroad (Year 2)
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Notes: - This unit catalogue is applicable for the 2024/25 academic year only. Students continuing their studies into 2025/26 and beyond should not assume that this unit will be available in future years in the format displayed here for 2024/25.
- Courses and units are subject to change in accordance with normal University procedures.
- Availability of units will be subject to constraints such as staff availability, minimum and maximum group sizes, and timetabling factors as well as a student's ability to meet any pre-requisite rules.
- Find out more about these and other important University terms and conditions here.
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