MA Internet Equalities

MA Internet Equalities explores how power relations are organized, embedded and perpetuated in internet technologies, and how they can be re-organized or challenged through critical, creative and activist practice.

Course overview

The course provides students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds with the skills to understand and implement applied equality in technology development. We define internet equalities as socio-technical systems that explicitly oppose discrimination on the grounds of race, class, gender, gender identity, sexuality, age, belief and ability.

More and more internet-based products, services, platform owners, communities and governments recognise the importance equality plays in developing technologies that can confront social problems such as racism, gender oppression and economic exclusion. Technology professionals who have critical and creative skills around human rights, inclusion and ethical design are in high demand as the industry shifts the narrative from what we could make to what we should make.

Assessment methods

This course is assessed through: Project portfolio comprising of technical prototypes, pitches, presentations, documentation of collaborative processes (online, face to face and blended); Peer and self-assessment; Critical essays and articles.

Applicant will normally be considered for admission if they have achieved an educational level equivalent to an honours degree in the broad fields of arts and humanities or the specific fields of science and technology studies, computer science, data science, computing, a joint computer sciences and arts/humanities degree. We also welcome application from a creative disciplines with substantial computational practice.