IR6012 - Politics in a Hyper-technological Age

You will learn on this module by attending lectures and seminars. The lectures will introduce key concepts, theories, perspectives and
debates, thus providing a framework for your independent learning. Student-led seminars will expand on these issues and deepen
understanding through group work and discussion that will draw on your reading. You will receive formative (i.e., non-assessed) feedback
throughout the learning process and summative assessment (i.e., assessed and credit-bearing assessment) will match your learning against the learning outcomes for the module.

Your academic development will be facilitated through engagement with the academic literature and by talking with peers and academics
about your understanding of the literature. The module lead and module tutors will provide ongoing feedback on your learning during contact
time in class (i.e. lectures and seminars) and offer office hours to further discuss any questions that you may have. A module Blackboard site
will provide access to online reading lists and other learning material, enabling further study beyond lectures and seminars.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
1. Critically analyse the role of advanced technology in various sectors of political (and social) life
2. Critically discuss ethical, social, political concerns, as well as governance problems in encountering and responding to advanced technology
Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
3. Apply and reinterpret existing conceptual, theoretical and practical knowledge in a new and emerging context
4. Appreciate the intellectual skills involved in clear communication to a range of audiences and working as part of a team to achieve this and support your potential.
Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
5. Curiosity and flexibility in responding to an evolving field of political life

Students will be formatively assessed through ongoing discussion and contribution in seminars. Formative feedback will be given in the seminars.
The module is summatively assessed by two pieces of assignment, counting for 60% and 40% of the overall module grade respectively:
• Component 1: a 2,000-word policy paper (MLOs 1, 2, 3, 5)
• Component 2: a simulation followed by a 1,500-word reflection diary (MLOs 2, 3, 4)

N/A

N/A

Technology has significantly altered both citizens’ lives and politics since the emergence of the internet, social media, CCTV etc at scale some 25 years ago.
Today, AI, Machine Learning, algorithmic governance, Big Data etc. pose significant new challenges that may displace the problems generated by those
earlier technologies, raising questions of citizens’ rights, fake news, the public sphere, or the state's ability to govern and control. What happens to human
freedom and autonomy if we rely on AI? Can states be digitally sovereign? How do algorithms shape political discourse? What is war if drones kill without
human control? Can we trust information when AI can fake people? Is society moving toward science fiction and politics in a post-apocalyptic world?
The module offers the opportunity to analyse a variety of issues of political life in a hyper-technological age that is shaping your future. The module is taught by various members of the IRP teaching team (and guests).