ALC8041 : Digital Cultures and Communication
- Offered for Year: 2026/27
- Module Leader(s): Dr Adam Brandt
- Co-Module Leader: Dr Spencer Hazel, Dr Müge Satar
- Lecturer: Dr Yao Wang
- Owning School: Education, Communication & Language Sci
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module introduces students to the study of culture and communication in digital spaces, covering a range of technologies and platforms, such as videoconferencing, social media, virtual reality, digital gaming, and AI. Across weekly topics, students engage with issues such as AI-mediated communication, online identity performance, social media cultures, digital gaming, virtual workplaces and online intercultural education. Through exploration of these topics, the module aims to:
1. Provide an advanced, interdisciplinary grounding in the study of digital cultures and communication.
This is done by introducing students to theories and methods drawn primarily from Applied Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, enabling students to analyse how language, culture and (intercultural) interaction are shaped by digital technologies.
2. Develop students’ critical literacies for understanding and evaluating emerging digital technologies.
This includes large language models, conversational AI and platform infrastructures. The module aims to equip students to interrogate social and communicative affordances and limitations these technologies foster (such as how they mediate social relations, encode cultural norms, reproduce stereotypes and generate new forms of artificial sociality).
3. Enable students to apply analytical and research skills to real-world digital communication practices.
Through case studies from social media, virtual worlds, professional digital workplaces and online intercultural exchanges, students learn to investigate digital interaction, evaluate ethical and methodological challenges, and reflect on the societal implications of digitally mediated life.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module will cover the following topics:
• The production and presentation of ‘selves’ (both human and artificial) in digital spaces
• Artificial Intelligence and language and culture
• Artificial Sociality
• Conversational AI
• Social media, micro-celebrities and influencers, fandom cultures
• Digital gaming and virtual worlds
• Digital workplaces including videoconferencing
• Online Intercultural Exchange in Educational Settings
• Wider implications of digital spaces (including impact on cultures, ways of working, ways of living together)
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Theory and research introduced to students. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 50:00 | 50:00 | Students apply their learning to a real-world scenario, and provide critical reflection on the application of one of the technologies covered in the module. |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Every week, students complete set reading and tasks in advance of lectures and workshops. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Materials from lectures put into practice through hands-on workshop activities. |
| Guided Independent Study | Reflective learning activity | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Every week after classes, students complete a set activity in which they engage with the digital technologies under investigation that week, and reflect on that. Reflections are posted on Canvas. |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 3 | 5:00 | 15:00 | Group work in the form of three Virtual Exchange sessions across the module. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 75:00 | 75:00 | N/A |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The teaching methods are designed to support students in developing both conceptual understanding and applications of this in the critical study of digital technologies and their relationship to culture, language and communication. Interactive lecture sessions introduce key theories, concepts and perspectives from Applied Linguistics and Intercultural Communication, directly supporting the intended knowledge outcomes related to understanding, explaining and critically evaluating digitally mediated communication and the societal roles of digital technologies. Structured reading and research activities ensure that students engage with core academic literature in advance of taught sessions, supporting informed discussion and critical engagement.
Workshops provide structured opportunities for students to apply theoretical concepts to examples of digital communication, enabling them to analyse and interpret real-world cases through disciplinary lenses. These sessions directly support the development of analytical and evaluative skills, particularly those related to assessing communicative affordances, cultural implications and ethical risks of digital technologies.
Weekly reflective learning activities will consolidate this further, requiring students to actively experiment with digital technologies and critically reflect on their communicative, cultural and ethical dimensions, thereby developing critical digital literacy and reinforcing links between theory, practice and professional contexts.
Student-led group activities, delivered through Virtual Exchange sessions with students from a partner university, provide experiential learning opportunities for intercultural communication in digitally mediated environments. These activities support both knowledge and skills outcomes by enabling students to critically reflect on their own online interaction while developing strategies for effective communication across cultural boundaries.
Finally, independent study and assessment preparation enable students to synthesise learning across the module and apply it to real-world scenarios.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Case study | 2 | A | 70 | Students produce guidelines for the use of a specific digital technology in a professional (or other applied) context. This should be informed by theory and research from Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Communication and other relevant disciplines. |
| Reflective log | 1 | A | 30 | Reflection of the use of digital technology for some part of the assessment, or other learning activities on the module (e.g. use of LLMs to help with writing, use of videoconferencing for group project meetings). Formal viva interview to discuss this. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
This assessment evaluates students’ ability to apply concepts and research in Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Communication and other relevant disciplines to a realistic professional or applied context. By producing evidence-informed guidelines for the use of a specific digital technology, students demonstrate their capacity to analyse digitally mediated communication, evaluate technological affordances and limitations, and create context-sensitive strategies for effective practice. The reflective component requires students to critically examine their own use of digital tools during assessment preparation and production, or other learning activities on the module, thereby developing critical digital literacy and ethical awareness, particularly in relation to AI technologies.
A viva voce accompanies the portfolio to enable students to articulate theoretical understanding, justify design choices and evidence use, reflect on intercultural and ethical implications, and demonstrate independent learning.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ALC8041's Timetable