Tool Criticism for Media Cultures

FaculteitFaculty of Humanities

NiveauMaster

Studiejaar2026-2027

Beschrijving

Course goals

By the end of the course students will be able to:

Employ “tool criticism” to critically assess the role of data-driven tools in shaping media, culture and society, engaging with relevant debates in the humanities and critical data and algorithm studies.
Understand the impact of data-driven tools on knowledge production, facilitating theoretical understanding of their implications.
Apply ethical deliberation methods, such as DEDA, to assess the application of data-driven tools and AI in real-world media contexts.
Document and communicate ethical deliberation processes through a well-researched editorial statement grounded in a case study.

Content

From TikTok’s algorithmic feeds and Netflix’s personalized recommendations to generative art on Midjourney and AI-generated news anchors, our culture is increasingly shaped by data-driven tools and AI. This course invites Humanities students to question how these tools used to create and disseminate cultural content shape culture, society and everyday life. Using “tool criticism” as a guiding method, we will learn about the basic operational logics of these, but also why they matter
.

Students will gain experience in practical activities with datasets, visualization, and data analysis. Alongside these practical skills, they will engage in critical reflection, asking: Who benefits from these tools? How do they affect media production, representation, and access? What ethical dilemmas do they raise? This approach reveals the dynamic interplay between data, software, hardware, culture, and society.

Additionally, students will be trained to use the Data Ethics Decision Aid (DEDA) to assess and reflect on the ethical considerations surrounding data practices in real-world media applications. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to thoughtfully evaluate, critique, and ethically engage with the digital tools shaping our cultural landscapes. They will be able to contribute meaningfully to public and professional debates in our transforming media environment.

Additional information

Only open for students in the RMA Media, Art and Performance Studies.

Please note: the time slot shown here is not yet final, and may still be modified until the third Wednesday in September.

Career orientation:
Students will develop critical skills pertaining to computational tools and computational research methodologies appropriate for current developments in the professional field and in academic research.

Transitional provisions
The course Tool Criticism for Media Cultures is an updated version of the course MCRMV16039 Data Driven Research and Digital Tools for Media, Arts and Performance Studies. Students who have taken this course in their core curriculum, cannot take Tool Criticism for Media Culture and should choose another elective.

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