Digital Society

Application deadline: EU/EER: 1 August, non-EU/EER 1 April

About Digital Society

Are you interested in understanding how digital technologies are changing the world? Are you eager to develop knowledge and skills to ensure that digital benefit different social groups? Are you open to various disciplinary perspectives and willing to learn how to combine them? Then the new bachelor’s programme in Digital Society might be right for you. The Digital Society bachelor’s programme will provide you with tools to better understand the history of the digital revolution and the impact of digitalisation on today’s society, culture and politics so that you can play an effective role in shaping the digital transformations of tomorrow.

Why this programme?

Digitalisation promises tremendous benefits, but it also presents challenges. For example, robots can take on tasks that are dangerous for people but at the same time can put people out of a job. Digital data collection may improve healthcare by providing more personalised treatment, but it may also challenge patient privacy and autonomy. Digitalisation has brought about new forms of social and political engagement, but not everyone has the skills needed to participate so some people are at risk of being excluded.

In this programme, you will explore both the advantages and disadvantages of digitalisation as well as learn to answer pressing social questions such as:

• How can we best utilise new opportunities for data collection?
• How can we bridge the divides that are emerging when it comes to data access?
• What does it mean to be human when we share the world with sophisticated forms of artificial intelligence?
• How can we identify knowledge and truth amongst the abundance of information?

Through examining these issues, you will learn to critically assess, anticipate and shape the social, cultural and political effects of digital transformations. You will also be capable of understanding the range of possible future implications of emerging digital transformations.

Curriculum and Overview

In this interdisciplinary programme, you will learn to look at the digital society from a wide variety of perspectives by combining theories and methodologies from disciplines such as media & culture studies, arts & literature, history, philosophy, political science, sociology, science & technology studies, computer, data & information science.

In addition to courses that teach you theoretical knowledge, you will also have skills trainings that help you develop specific sets of skills, including:

• academic skills: academic writing, qualitative and quantitative methods, interdisciplinary research design
• professional skills: business and persuasive writing, presentation skills, collaborative working, creative problem-solving
• digital society skills: managing an online presence, critical analysis of online sources, coding and algorithmic thinking

At the beginning of your third year, you will be able to specialise in your field of interest by choosing to study abroad at one of our more than 100 partner universities, conduct an internship (e.g. at a cultural institution, civil society organisation, media organisation) or follow a minor at FASoS or another faculty. At the end of your third year, you will conduct an in-depth study on a topic of your choice related to the digital society.

Problem-Based Learning (PBL)

At Maastricht University, you will be taught using Problem-Based Learning (PBL). In small tutorial groups with a maximum of 15 students, you will analyse challenging questions and cases. Together with your group, you will seek further knowledge and formulate your answers. Instructors only give help as it is needed, allowing you to develop independence and the problem-solving skills you will need in your career. This programme will also experiment with digital forms of education within the PBL environment and with the support of Maastricht University’s Institute for Education Innovation (EDLAB). This will give you hands-on experience with the advantages and disadvantages of digitally-mediated teaching and learning methods.

Career Prospects

This degree will open up a wide variety of career paths to you when you graduate. Virtually all employment sectors are affected by digital transformations and need people who fully understand the potential opportunities and consequences of digitalisation for individuals, communities, nations and the world. The interdisciplinarity of the programme will allow you to communicate this knowledge to people of all backgrounds within an organisation. This would make you particularly suited for the following types of jobs:

1. Marketing, communications & PRYou will be well prepared to analyse the needs of both organisations and potential audiences. This would make you an ideal candidate for traditional jobs in communications and media as well as in the growing area of ‘digital culture’.
2. Usability & procurementOrganisations need employees who understand the needs of their customers or stakeholders when it comes to their user experience. For example, many standard software packages and platforms need to be configured to meet local or targeted user requirements. Without being able to understand such requirements, organisations are more likely to make bad procurement decisions and/or fail to meet the needs of their intended users.
3. Policy & designThere is a growing number of digital policy roles in local, national and international government and administration. These vary widely in their scope. For example, you could work at a municipality, advising on the implementation of ‘smart city’ initiatives, highlighting ethical and practical complexities at an early stage and engaging stakeholders to facilitate transparent and democratic implementation. Or you could work within a ‘’digital ministry’ position that many European governments are currently developing and advise on the updating of privacy law and data-protection regulation in light of digital transformations. Another option is to work at a private company that designs digital technologies, ensuring that questions of privacy, liability, accountability are taken into account at an early stage, in order to prevent costly mistakes at a later stage.

Contact

Toñita Perea y Monsuwé
Advisor Student Recruitment FASoS
Phone: +31 43 388 47 79
E-mail: tonita.pereaymonsuwe@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Website: www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/about-um/faculties/faculty-arts-and-social-sciences