State of the Art: NMDC

Course goals

Content

After a more general introduction, the detailed course content will depend heavily on the most recent research exploits of staff in the three key UU NMDC areas: 1) mobile media and urban culture, 2) games and playful culture, and 3) datafication and algorithmic culture. The programme’s compounded focus on this culturally and historically contextualised research triad is what distinguishes it from other new media-oriented programmes in the Netherlands and beyond. The course content exhibits our unique perspectives and approaches and helps to guide students through the rest of the programme. The course also provides the opportunity to debate recent research developments with various staff members in both lecture settings and more hands-on exercises. The course familiarises students with writing a preliminary literature review and formulating good research questions. The course complements the Research Lab 1 and New Media Theories modules, which teach methodology and theoretical framework writing.

The deliverable is an individual portfolio in which a research interest within one of the three areas of research is explored. It is based on weekly reflections as well as a final literature review. The goal of the course is to learn how to identify topics for potential research and ask proper research questions. The final assignment asks you to adequately identify and object and theory in research questions, identify a possible point of entry for your own research, and to create a relevant research question around the topic. The assignment will be graded pass/fail. 

Additional information