CULT 7004 Global Digital Futures

Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 102412

Coordinator Brett Neilson Opens in new window

Description This subject explores how innovation in the digital era is transforming society on a global scale. Reflecting on examples drawn from around the world, students learn about the latest trends in communication, media, computing and the knowledge economy. Current and future directions are surveyed in the context of contemporary issues such as big data, digital identity and privacy, social media and crowdsourcing, gaming and visualisation, geographical information systems, virtual environments and artificial intelligence.

School Humanities & Comm Arts

Discipline Society and Culture, Not Elsewhere Classified.

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 4 10cp

Check your fees via the Fees page.

Level Postgraduate Coursework Level 7 subject

Equivalent Subjects CULT 7007 - Text Media and Memory

Restrictions

Students must be enrolled in a postgraduate or a research program.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

  1. Think critically about the implications of using digital technology and methods for compiling, storing, displaying, and disseminating humanities data.
  2. Articulate the influence of earlier media, such as photography and film, on communication, research and information design so that digital innovations can be viewed in a broader context.
  3. Appraise new formats, genres and methods for the production of knowledge, ranging from the personal and experimental to the institutional.
  4. Articulate key ways in which the concepts of identity and community are changing in the digital information age.

Subject Content

The subject is structured around eight modules
1. Digital Futures
2. Data Politics and Algorithmic Governance
3. Digital Infrastructures - Data Centres and Undersea Cables
4. Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning
5. High Frequency Trading and Flash Crashes
6. Contact Tracing
7. The Chinese Internet and the Digital Silk Road
8. Reverse Engineering

Assessment

The following table summarises the standard assessment tasks for this subject. Please note this is a guide only. Assessment tasks are regularly updated, where there is a difference your Learning Guide takes precedence.

Type Length Percent Threshold Individual/Group Task
Online Research and Learning Activities Regular contribution to activities, totalling minimum 1,000 words 20 N Individual
Oral Presentation 10 minutes 15 N Individual
Project: a written work or a digital creative or critical work with an exegesis 3,000 words (or equivalent combination of digital work and written exegesis) 65 N Individual

Prescribed Texts

  • Arthur, Paul Longley. History and New Media. London: Anthem Press, Scholarship in the Digital Age series, 2015.