1. Bachelor degree in media technology or in a related field with a minimum 180 European Credit Transfer System credits. Examples of related fields include: computer science, informatics, information systems, human-computer interaction, interaction design, media/IT management, game development, media and communication science and digital cultural studies.
2. English proficiency equivalent to English 6 from a Swedish upper secondary school.

The course is part of the main area of study Media Technology and can be included in the degree requirements for a Degree of Master of Science in Media Technology (120 credits).

• A broad overview of the media technology field and its theoretical foundations,
• Social, economic and cultural contextualisation of media development and media use,
• Interdisciplinary perspectives on media development.

Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the course students should be able to:

• explain how technical, social, cultural, economic and ethical factors affect the development and use of media technologies and platforms,
• explain key theories in the field of media technology,
• explain the relationship between different theoretical perspectives and their practical applications.

Competence and abilities
By the end of the course students should be able to:

• analyse and discuss media technology development from different perspectives and in relation to different contexts,
• critically discuss theory development in media technology,
• present theoretical arguments based on literature, case studies and research articles,
• effectively communicate the results of their theoretical work orally and in writing.

Evaluation abilities and approach
By the end of the course students should be able to:

• demonstrate an advanced ability to evaluate the theoretical foundations and social contexts of media technology,
• evaluate different viewpoints on media development and argue for different perspectives and needs.

The course consists of lectures, seminars and independent study, both individually and in groups.

Grading is based on oral and written examination, including active participation in seminars.

The course is assessed based on the following:

• Essay (7.5 credits, UA)
• Seminar participation (2.5 credits, UG)
• Written assignments (5 credits, UA)

To pass the course (A-E): At least grade E on essay (7.5 credits) and written assignments (5 credits) and grade G on seminar participation is required.

The final course grade is calculated based on the weighted average of assessed parts.

• Bolter, Jay D. (2019). The Digital Plenitude : The Decline of Elite Culture and the Rise of New Media. Cambridge, MA & London: The MIT Press.
• Bolter, Jay D. & Grusin, Richard (1999). Remediation: Understanding New Media. Cambridge, MA & London: The MIT Press.
• Couldry, Nick (2016). The Mediated Construction of Reality. Oxford : Polity Press.
• Gillespie, Tarlton, Boczkowski, Pablo J., & Foot, Kirsten A. (eds.) (2014). Media Technologies: Essays on Communication, Materiality, and Society. Cambridge, MA & London: The MIT Press.
• Heskett, John (2002). Design: A very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press.
• Jenkins, Henry (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media collide. New York & London: New York University Press.
• Karlsson, Jan CH & Bergman, Ann (2017). Methods for Social Theory. Analytical Tools for Theorizing and Writing. London & New York: Routledge.
• MacKenzie, Donald and Wajcman, Judy (eds) (1999). The social shaping of technology. 2nd ed. Buckingham: Open University Press.
• Manovic, Lev (2002). The Language of New Media. Cambridge, MA & London: The MIT Press.
• Storsul, Tanja, Krumsvik, Arne H. (eds) (2013). Media innovations: A multidisciplinary study of change. Gothenburg: NORDICOM.
• van Dijck, José, Poell, Thomas, & de Waal, Martijn (2018). The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connected World. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The course literature is digitally available through the university library.

In addition to the literature listed above, the course readings consist of book chapters, journal articles and reports that will be shared by the course instructors.

The University provides students who are taking or have completed a course with the opportunity to share their experiences of and opinions about the course in the form of a course evaluation that is arranged by the University. The University compiles the course evaluations and notifies the results and any decisions regarding actions brought about by the course evaluations. The results shall be kept available for the students. (HF 1:14).

When a course is no longer given, or the contents have been radically changed, the student has the right to re-take the examination, which will be given twice during a one year period, according to the syllabus which was valid at the time of registration.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.