Module: Technology, Policy and Safety

Latest Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2025 - 2026

Module Title	Technology, Policy and Safety
Module Code	PSY1106
Faculty	Psychology	School	Science & Health
NFQ level		Credit Rating	5

Description

This module examines the key policy, trust and safety themes that core disruptive and innovative technology stakeholders face throughout the lifecycle of current and future technologies. To enable students to gain insight into the function of industry teams - such as Trust & Safety, Legal and Policy, and Community Standards/Operations - they will examine core issues faced by stakeholders (e.g. online harms, content moderation, and child safety). Students will engage in challenge-based approaches and utilise case studies to understand these issues (e.g. effectiveness of community guidelines within social media) and the role psychology plays in assisting our understanding (e.g. the online disinhibition effect). Students will also engage in solution-focused approaches to core trust, safety and policy issues by way cutting edge principles including safety-by-design and privacy-by-design. This module will develop a range of transversal skills including multidisciplinary and stakeholder engagement, future-led design, ethical thinking and problem-solving.

Learning Outcomes

1. Critically identify key issues for technology and innovation relating to trust and safety, legal and policy issues
2. Identify and analyse the key roles of industry teams including: trust and safety, legal and policy, and community standards
3. Critically consider both current and future applications of psychological science within the domains of policy and safety
4. Understand the principles of safety-by-design, privacy-by-design, ethics-by-design and collaborative methodologies to innovatively address key debates within the policy and safety space
5. Demonstrate an ability to combine an understanding of key trust, safety and policy issues with psychology and to consider how to offset future risks

*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Workload	Full time hours per semester
Lecture	24	Lecture Based on indicative content and learning outcomes
Seminars	11	Post Lecture Moderator and student-led tutorials
Seminars	8	Challenge Based Moderator and student-led tutorials
Independent Study	82	Self directed learning including assessment preparation
Total Workload: 125

Section Breakdown
CRN	11872	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	Darragh McCashin	Module Teacher

Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date
Assessment Breakdown
Group presentation	Students will: 1) identify a key policy framework relating to trust and safety issues (e.g. an EU or government strategy); 2) critically evaluate its applications within industry (e.g. how does Twitter apply hate speech legislation?); and 3) consider how safety-by-design principles could be applied	40%	n/a
Essay	Students will produce an essay critically outlining a key issue relating to trust, policy and safety; and outline the potential for psychology to address it	60%	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

A critical overview of key issues in technology, policy and safet
Child safety, understanding bad actors, cyberbullying, online hate, trolling and misinformation, cybersecurity risks

The functions of Trust & Safety, Legal & Policy, and Community Standards teams in industry
Content moderation; terms of service; community guidelines; law enforcement collaboration; collaborative policy-making; stakeholder engagement,

Using Psychological Science to address issues in technology, policy and safety
Evidence-based approaches; Cyberpsychology principles; online and offline selves; key contributions from cognitive, developmental, social and forensic psychology; theory-based approaches

Wider Policy Considerations
Evolving Digital rights; Applied policy frameworks;, GDPR; EU topic-specific strategies; Global policy approaches; Current stakeholder strategies to build safer futures

Design thinking
Ethics-by-design; Privacy-by-design; Safety-by-design; UX principles

Indicative Reading List

Books:

Attrill-Smith, A., Fullwood, C., Keep, M., & Kuss, D. J. (Eds.): 2019, The Oxford handbook of cyberpsychology., Oxford University Press.,
Kirwan, G., & Power, A: 2013, Cybercrime: The psychology of online offenders, Cambridge University Press.,

Articles:
None

Other Resources

None