MA in Digital Media and Society

Develop a broad understanding of the interweaving of digital media and society from a sociological perspective. You’ll think about digital media developments in terms of a range of social issues, such as gender, race, intimacy, surveillance, science and cultural theory, and use visual, qualitative and quantitative methods.

 

Course description

This course offers you a unique opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the interweaving of digital media and society from a sociological perspective.

Drawing upon staff expertise in digital media and digital society, this programme will give you a grounding in aspects of digital media, allowing you to specialise in a specific area, or develop your understanding of the following: researching digital society, digital practices, and digital methods.

As a student within the Faculty of Social Sciences, you will also benefit from the research and training activities of both the Sheffield Methods Institute and the faculty-wide Digital Society Network. The latter brings together interdisciplinary researchers engaged in research at the cutting-edge of society–technology interactions.

 

Modules

You’ll complete 180 credits in total.

 

Core modules:

 

Academic Skills and Literacy

Perspectives on Digital Society

Digital Methods

Researching Society

Digital Media in a Datafied Society

Dissertation in Digital Media and Society

 

Optional modules – two from:

 

The Digital Self

Hate, Hope and Digital Misinformation

Contemporary Challenges: Refugees and Asylum

Digital Practices

Digital Health

Advanced social media research

Sociology of Genders, Sexualities and the Bodies

Visual Methods for Social Scientists

Information Governance and Ethics (distance learning)

Digital Advocacy

 

 

 

Guided Module Choice – you can take a maximum of 15 credits from the following:

 

The Japanese Empire in East Asia, 1895-1945

Before Facebook: Social Networks in History

Managing Climate Change

 

The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it’s up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research; funding changes; professional accreditation requirements; student or employer feedback; outcomes of reviews; and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we’ll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption. We are no longer offering unrestricted module choice. If your course included unrestricted modules, your department will provide a list of modules from their own and other subject areas that you can choose from.

 

Duration

• 1 year full-time
• 2 years part-time

Assessment

Assessment varies across modules and will include a combination of coursework (essays, portfolio and practical work). 

Formal examination may be required for some optional modules. Students are also expected to complete a dissertation-length project equivalent to 15,000 words in length.

 

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement is a 2:1 honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant social science discipline.

Overall IELTS score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component, or equivalent.

 

Pathway programme for international students

If you’re an international student who does not meet the entry requirements for this course, you have the opportunity to apply for a pre-masters programme in Business, Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Sheffield International College. This course is designed to develop your English language and academic skills. Upon successful completion, you can progress to degree level study at the University of Sheffield.

 

 

Fees and funding

• Home (2022 annual fee) : £9,300
• Overseas (2022 annual fee) : £20,400

The fee listed is for the advertised mode of study. If you’re studying for an alternative qualification or via a different mode of study (eg full-time, part-time) then the fee could be different. Due to inflation, the fee for Home students could also increase after your first year of study.

 

key dates

September start

 

Monday 29 August 2022	Last date to request a deferral to September 2023 entry. You can request a deferral via your online application. We’re not able to consider deferral requests for applications to courses using our staged admissions process.
Friday 9 September 2022 (17:00 British Summer Time)	Applications close for September 2022 entry
Monday 17 October 2022	Last date to register for most courses