After successful completion of the course, students are able to...

… name and explain historical and current day approaches to critical theories as presented in class

... assess technologies using critical lenses regarding gender, class, race, disability & colonialism

... analyse and discuss the potential societal effects and impacts of technologies

... identify and argue for design changes to technological development in front of a technical audience

... present their assessment in a written manner that is grounded in the literature presented in class

... assess and position academic and general media publications critiquing technologies

This course introduces strands of Critical Theories as they relate to Media Theory and Computer Science. It spans across positions from the Frankfurt School and early critique on mass media to examples of critique within today’s technological make-up. Within the course, students will engage with different axes of critique along surveillance, gender, race and disability, among others. Each session will consist of an introduction into the core ideas, a discussion of an associated text in a seminar style and hands-on exercises engaging with different forms of critique, criticism and critical theory on current technological trends. 

Successful completion of the course (VO+UE) counts for 6 ECTS, relating to 150 hours of work. These are expected to be allocated as follows: 60h In-class attendance 60h Individual and Group Work 30h Examination modalities (Exam+Reflections+Session Preparation).   Individual and Group Work includes preparatory reading for the seminar and engaging with the worksheets. 

For the VO, students are expected to prepare a topical summary for presentation on January 22nd, 2024.