Digital Culture and Communication

at University of Sheffield

Explore the ways in which digital technologies are transforming human experience and artistic and humanistic practices. On our MA you'll  investigate how digital material and methodologies are used in culture and heritage, and you’ll receive practical training in digital methods to prepare you for creative leadership roles in the digital sector.

The course draws on historical and aesthetic perspectives, with a focus on cultural artefacts and organisations. You don't need a background in information science, programming or mathematical competencies. The course investigates the contexts of cultural data – you'll explore digital data about human culture and society, past and present, such as ancient documents, artefacts and environments as well as present-day social media, digital arts and virtual worlds.

Digital culture is about the emergence and use of information technologies – for example networked computers, personalised technologies, digital images and sound – and their relationship with the ways culture is created and consumed. Cultural data draws on a diverse range of digital and computational methods for its management, analysis and communication: from data standards, citizen science and web apps, to computational linguistics, machine learning and user-centred design.