Overview

Digital and internet cultures have transformed how we connect, communicate and understand each other, raising real questions about media power and who holds it. The BA (Hons) Media and Digital Culture at the University of Essex moves students beyond opinion, building evidence-based skills to investigate how media shapes social, cultural and political life. Taught within the Department of Sociology, the course draws on expertise spanning criminology, visual sociology and cultural rights, exploring topics from the impact of computer games on crime to representations of war in art and testimony. The course suits students genuinely curious about digital culture and its effects on identity and society, with the option to add a placement year or study abroad.

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What You'll Learn

• How media shapes social, cultural and political life

• Digital and internet cultures, and their transformation of personal and networked interaction

• The relationship between media, mass politics and governance

• The impact of computer games on crime and society

• Mass media and its role in modern everyday life

• The art, film and personal testimony of war

• Practical research methods, including designing interview schedules and surveys

• Analysis of cultural and digital data to support academic and evidence-based work

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Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyse how media and digital culture shape social, cultural and political life, moving beyond opinion to build genuinely evidence-based arguments. They will be equipped to apply practical research methods, including survey design and data analysis, to real questions about media power and its effects on society. Through wide-ranging topic exploration, students will develop the ability to investigate what connects and divides people in a digital age. Graduates will leave with strong analytical, research and communication skills, well suited to careers across media, communications, publishing, policy and a wide range of other creative and social sectors.