Module: Understanding Digital Media

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Understanding Digital Media
Module Code	MCO1018 (ITS: CM293)
Faculty	Communications	School	Humanities & Social Sciences
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5

Description

Digital media have been revolutionary in transforming personal, social, political, and economic life. This module examines these changes and considers how to maximise public benefits and minimise public harms. It will examine contemporary issues including platform economics, surveillance, privacy, algorithmic accountability, ethical AI, and online harms. The overall aim is to develop an informed perspective on the ethics, influence, and governance of digital media. This will be achieved by engaging with foundational knowledge, analytical frameworks, and empirical evidence to assess current debates about how to govern digital media in the public interest.

Learning Outcomes

1. Demonstrate a high-level of knowledge about key dimensions of digital media.
2. Apply analytical concepts and frameworks to assess the implications of digital media.
3. Evaluate contemporary debates about the ethics and influence of digital media.
4. Develop skills to engage with the policy-making process.

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	22	No Description
Independent Study	80	Independent study includes reading and reviewing the lecture slides, lectures notes, and assigned reading until they are understood.
Assignment Completion	23	Assignment work includes time spent preparing and delivering assignments.
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	10984	Part of Term	Semester 1
Coursework	0%	Examination Weight	0%
Grade Scale	40PASS	Pass Both Elements	Y
Resit Category	RC1	Best Mark	N
Module Co-ordinator	Eileen Culloty	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Short Answer Questions	Quizzes	25%	n/a
Essay	Position paper	75%	n/a

Reassessment Requirement Type
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; RC1: A resit is available for both^* components of the module. RC2: No resit is available for a 100% coursework module. RC3: No resit is available for the coursework component where there is a coursework and summative examination element. ^* ‘Both’ is used in the context of the module having a coursework/summative examination split; where the module is 100% coursework, there will also be a resit of the assessment

Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Lecture topics
Lectures will examine major issues surrounding digital media including: platform economics, surveillance, privacy, algorithmic accountability, ethical AI, online harms, and digital policy.

Reading list
Readings will be provided for each thematic lecture drawing on academic studies and policy reports. A sample of such readings includes: Participation: Freelon D, Marwick A and Kreiss D (2020) False equivalencies: Online activism from left to right. Science 369(6508): 1197–1201. Hate: Ganesh, B. (2018). The Ungovernability of Digital Hate Culture. Journal of International Affairs 71(2): 30–49. Information: Bode, L. (2016). Political News in the News Feed: Learning Politics from Social Media. Mass Communication and Society 19(1): 24–48. Economics: Wu, T. ( 2017 ). Blind spot: The attention economy and the law. Antitrust Law Journal 82 : 771 – 806. Algorithms: Gillespie T (2014) The Relevance of Algorithms. In: Gillespie T, Boczkowski PJ, and Foot KA (eds) Media Technologies: Essays on Communication, Materiality, and Society. The MIT Press, pp. 167–194. Privacy: Hargittai, E. and A. Marwick (2016). “What can I really do?” Explaining the privacy paradox with online apathy. International Journal of Communication, 10: 3737-3757.

Indicative Reading List

Books:
None

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None