Module Catalogue 2024/25

Pre Requisite Comment

N/A

Co Requisite Comment

N/A

Aims

The Internet is a significant feature of contemporary society and the module develops sociological understanding of the way in which the Internet is socially shaped and how it features in the social relations of society and in specific social contexts. It draws on key sociologists in Internet studies such as Castells, Dutton, Mansell, Webster, Lupton, Fuchs and Wessels. The module covers the ways in which the Internet features in the structuring of society through socio-technical networks and the array of social practices that surround and give meaning to the use of the Internet. The specific characteristics of the Internet and its use such as its networking capacity, the virtual aspect of its communication and the compression of time and space raise specific challenges in undertaking research in this area.

The development and use of the Internet is part of wider social change and the module covers the history of the Internet and the World Wide Web (WWW), its ‘culture of freedom’ and how this culture materialises throughout the development of the Internet. To address the relationship between the Internet and society, the module engages with two main sociological approaches to technology, namely: the social shaping of technology (Williams and Wajcman) and the social construction of technology (Bijker et al.) that show that the Internet is socially shaped and culturally informed. This is important because it enables students to recognise a common tendency to produce technological determinist arguments about the effect of technology on society that discourage a deeper analysis of the social relations of the technology.

The module covers key areas of the social study of the Internet:

• The way in Internet features in the imagination and practices of community life (e.g. Wellman).
•       The relationship between situated worlds and virtual worlds in the negotiation of gender, ethnicity and identity (e.g. Bell)
•       The use of the Internet in everyday life specifically drawing on the concept of domestication (Silverstone).
•       The practices of work when the Internet in used in working life such as telework, mobile work and how the interaction between the Internet and neo-liberalism shape work beyond changing practice to new forms of employment patterns such as the gig economy (e.g Dutton, Castells).
•       The Internet and social inequality in the form of the digital divide at local, national and global levels (e.g Pippa Norris).
•       Ideologies of welfare and the Internet in producing new forms of welfare and health service provision (e.g. Burrows and Loader)
•       Issues of privacy and surveillance (e.g Clive Norris)
•       The Internet and communication in the use of new media and social media (e.g. Livingstone)

Two workshops address research practice in Internet and society related areas: these cover methodologies such as virtual ethnography, online surveys and data-driven approaches to research as well as the ethics of Internet research. These sessions introduce open data sources such as the PEW internet survey, the Oxford Internet Institute survey and open gov. and related data (Wessels et al. March 2017 Open Data and Knowledge Society). Students develop their own research questions and methodology in these workshops and then undertake a small pilot project.

The understanding gained about the various social contexts of Internet development and use (cited in the box above) forms the basis to assess the role of Internet in boarder social change and transformation. The main debate is whether society has developed or transformed into an Information Society (Webster) or Knowledge Society (Mansell). Students will critically engage in this debate by drawing on the knowledge gained in the module, open data sources and the research skills that they develop during the module.

Outline Of Syllabus

The areas listed below are indicative of the areas covered and each draws on key scholars in the areas, example names are given in brackets. Wessels’ book Understanding the Internet covers the whole syllabus.

1. History of the Internet
Lectures and seminars will cover the history of the development of the Internet and the World Wide Web (e.g. Naughton)
2: Culture of the Internet
Lectures and seminars will introduce the idea that technology is socially produced and culturally informed. The Internet’s ‘culture of freedom’ is developed through techno-meritocratic, hacker culture, virtual communitarian culture and entrepreneurial cultures. (e.g. Castells).
3: Sociology of Technology
Lectures and seminars will address the sociology of technology, covering technological determinism, social shaping of technology, and social construction of technology. The significance of these approaches is discussed in relation to understanding the Internet and society (e.g Williams, Bijker)
4: The Internet and its Social Landscape
Lectures and seminars will introduce to the ways in which the Internet interacts with community life, civil society and social life (e.g. Wessels).
5: The Information Society and Knowledge Society
Lectures and seminars introduce the core debates about the development of an ‘information society’ and/or ‘knowledge society’ (e.g Mansell).
6: Internet and work
Lectures and seminars will discuss how the Internet is shaped by - and is shaping - new forms of work, but that some old work structures and practices are resistant to change (e.g Dutton).
7: Digital Divide
Lectures and seminars will address the digital divide that can be understood as the differentiation between the Internet-haves and Internet-have-nots, which adds a fundamental cleavage to existing sources of inequality and social exclusion. (e.g Pippa Norris).
8: Policy and the Internet: education welfare and citizenship
Lectures and seminars will to introduce the ways in which the logic of the Internet is interacting with changes in the ideology and practice of many aspects of social policy (e.g Loader).
9 and 10: Internet Research Workshops (1 & 2)
There will be two student centred workshops in which students will learn to develop an appropriate methodology for a pilot study. Students will decide on a topic for a piece of Internet-based research and engage in understanding what methods to use (e.g Roberts et al).
11: The Internet, Culture and Everyday Life
Lectures and seminars will explore the Internet in everyday life drawing on the concept of domestication (e.g Silverstone).
12: Cyberculture, virtuality, identity and community
Lectures and seminars will critically explore the notion of cyberculture and considers the ways in which identity (including ethnicity) and community is negotiated on the Internet and in cyberculture (e.g Bell).
13: New Media and social media
Lectures and seminars will consider what distinguishes new media and social media from other media. (e.g Livingstone).
14: Cybersexualities and gender and technology
Lectures and seminars explore the ways in which the new Internet related technologies are challenging some of the traditional constructions of gender (e.g Haraway).
15: Technospace, Cyberspace and surveillance
Lectures and seminars will consider the specific geography of the Internet, virtual geographies, mapping cyberspace and surveillance (e.g Munt, Norris).

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

This module will introduce students to the multiple and complex ways in which the Internet features in social life and in society. Students will learn how to analyse the development and use of the Internet sociologically by drawing on sociological theory and in developing appropriate research methodology. They will gain experience of working with a range of data and understand the limitations of different types of data. They will also gain deep understanding of specific contexts in which the Internet features in a range of social relations. Further they will develop their creative and analytical skills by identifying a pilot research topic and undertaking a small independent study of an Internet and society related topic.

Intended Skill Outcomes

Students will develop intellectual and critical skills through engaging with and synthesising complex theoretical arguments and evidence in the field of Internet studies. They will develop a range of practical skills including time-management, group work, interpersonal communication, and the ability to write logically, analytically and critically (seminar work, private study and assessments). They will also learn to work with a range of data and to develop innovative methodologies to address the challenges involved in undertaking research in the area of Internet and society. They will develop their writing skills beyond essay writing by producing a research report based on their own pilot study. In doing this they will learn to write policy recommendations and identify further research questions.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures are utilised to introduce students to the scope of the subject, theoretical perspectives, and empirical evidence. They provide the narrative thread around which students’ own reading should take place. Seminars (small group teaching) are organised to encourage students to explore via small group discussion and prior reading their developing understanding of the cultural field, and to discuss how this understanding might be applied to analyses of a specific popular cultural form. The workshops are designed to enable students to prepare for the research report assessment through group work and discussion in order to discuss student plans for the pilot projects and to develop research design for accomplishing a pilot project. Assessment drop-ins are an opportunity for students to meet with the lecturer and discuss the feedback on their essays, research proposals and reports to build on experience they gain and to support them to improve future performance.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The essay will permit students to explore one topic in some depth: read around the topic, draw from and organise sources to develop an argument, etc. The research proposal dor the pilot project will give students experience in developing a research proposal and thet will learn how to plan a small piece of research. The research report will give the students the skills to organize and structure a research report and they will learn how to present research findings in a clear and accessible way.. The combined assessments will provide evidence that learning has occurred and that learning outcomes have been met.

Reflecting moves to standardise the resit assessment strategy within GPS, the resit will be 100% formal examination, 3 hours in duration.

General Notes

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