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233056 SE Digital Sociology (2019S)
Methodology, Issues, Practice
Continuous assessment of course work
Labels
Registration/Deregistration
Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).
- Registration is open from Fr 01.02.2019 00:01 to We 22.05.2019 23:59
- Deregistration possible until Tu 18.06.2019 23:59
Details
max. 15 participants
Language: English
Lecturers
Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N
- Tuesday 18.06. 16:00 - 19:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Wednesday 19.06. 12:00 - 17:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Monday 24.06. 11:00 - 17:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
- Tuesday 25.06. 09:00 - 15:00 STS Bibliothek, NIG Universitätsstraße 7/Stg. II/6. Stock, 1010 Wien
Information
Aims, contents and method of the course
Digital innovation is enabling new ways of knowing and intervening in society, from deep learning to behavioural analytics and real-time research. What are the implications of this for the relations between social research, media technologies and society? In this module we will engage with new forms of computational social science and their introduction into society, exploring the intense debates they have sparked across disciplines including sociology, computer science, STS, and media studies. The module consists of three parts: we begin with an overview of contemporary debates about the new, computational science of society, with lecture-based session(s) offering an advanced introduction to the key epistemic, methodological and normative issues, such as: Do the sensational claims for a new computational science of society hold up? Which concepts, methods and sensibilities can a digitally re-constituted sociology offer to understand contemporary transformations of social life? In the second part of the module, we investigate how these wider questions play out in specific empirical areas: fake news and fact-checking; autonomous cars; and participatory metrics. This part of the course will be seminar-based and involve group assignments exploring these topic areas using a variety of digital and analogue materials and data. During a last part of the module, students will be able to work with Twitter and Youtube data to explore the above topic areas analytically and visually. Here groups will collaborate in a hands-on way, in practice-based sessions in which we experiment with digital research techniques in order to imagine new ways of practicing sociology with computational technology. Group findings will be shared in small presentations.
Assessment and permitted materials
Course AssessmentAssessment for this course will involve three tasks: an essay assignment addressing issues raised by the new science of society for society and culture; an individual report outlining key insights and findings of the group work conducted in part 2 and 3 of the course; and a small group presentation of these findings in the seminar.Essay 3000 words, to be submitted via Moodle, by July 25 2019, 17:00
Report 1500 words, to be submitted via Moodle, by July 25 2019, 17:00
Report 1500 words, to be submitted via Moodle, by July 25 2019, 17:00
Minimum requirements and assessment criteria
Grading Scheme
The grading scheme is based on a total of 100 points. These points will be awarded in relation to students’ performance in meeting the course learning aims in the different obligatory tasks.
The maximum number of points to be acquired for each task is:Essay: 50 points, assessed individually, feedback by lecturer;
Report: 40 points, assessed individually, feedback by lecturer;
Group Presentation: 10 points, assessed collectively, oral feedback by lecturer;Minimum requirements
A minimum of 50 points is necessary to successfully complete the course. Failure to meet the attendance regulations, to deliver course assignments on time or to adhere to standards of academic work may result in a deduction of points.Grades
100-87 points Excellent (1)
86-75 points Good (2)
74-63 points Satisfactory (3)
62-50 points Sufficient (4)
49-0 points Unsatisfactory (5) (fail)Attendance
Presence and participation is compulsory. Absences of four hours at maximum are tolerated, provided that the lecturer is informed about the absence. Absences of up to eight hours in total may be compensated by either a deduction of grading points or/and extra work agreed with the lecturer. Whether compensation is possible is decided by the lecturer.Absences of more than eight hours in total cannot be compensated. In this case, or if the lecturer does not allow a student to compensate absences of more than four hours, the course cannot be completed and is graded as a ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfil the attendance requirements on the student’s side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.Important Grading Information
If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme and the attendance regulations must be met. If a required task is not fulfilled, e.g. a required assignment is not handed in or if the student does not meet the attendance requirements, this will be considered as a discontinuation of the course. In that case, the course will be graded as ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfill the task on the student's side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.If any requirement of the course has been fulfilled by fraudulent means, be it for example by cheating at an exam, plagiarizing parts of a written assignment or by faking signatures on an attendance sheet, the student's participation in the course will be discontinued, the entire course will be graded as ‘not assessed’ and will be entered into the electronic exam record as ‘fraudulently obtained’. Self-plagiarism, particularly re-using own work handed in for other courses, will be treated likewise.
The grading scheme is based on a total of 100 points. These points will be awarded in relation to students’ performance in meeting the course learning aims in the different obligatory tasks.
The maximum number of points to be acquired for each task is:Essay: 50 points, assessed individually, feedback by lecturer;
Report: 40 points, assessed individually, feedback by lecturer;
Group Presentation: 10 points, assessed collectively, oral feedback by lecturer;Minimum requirements
A minimum of 50 points is necessary to successfully complete the course. Failure to meet the attendance regulations, to deliver course assignments on time or to adhere to standards of academic work may result in a deduction of points.Grades
100-87 points Excellent (1)
86-75 points Good (2)
74-63 points Satisfactory (3)
62-50 points Sufficient (4)
49-0 points Unsatisfactory (5) (fail)Attendance
Presence and participation is compulsory. Absences of four hours at maximum are tolerated, provided that the lecturer is informed about the absence. Absences of up to eight hours in total may be compensated by either a deduction of grading points or/and extra work agreed with the lecturer. Whether compensation is possible is decided by the lecturer.Absences of more than eight hours in total cannot be compensated. In this case, or if the lecturer does not allow a student to compensate absences of more than four hours, the course cannot be completed and is graded as a ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfil the attendance requirements on the student’s side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.Important Grading Information
If not explicitly noted otherwise, all requirements mentioned in the grading scheme and the attendance regulations must be met. If a required task is not fulfilled, e.g. a required assignment is not handed in or if the student does not meet the attendance requirements, this will be considered as a discontinuation of the course. In that case, the course will be graded as ‘fail’ (5), unless there is a major and unpredictable reason for not being able to fulfill the task on the student's side (e.g. a longer illness). In such a case, the student may be de-registered from the course without grading. It is the student’s responsibility to communicate this in a timely manner, and to provide relevant evidence to their claims if necessary. Whether this exception applies is decided by the lecturer.If any requirement of the course has been fulfilled by fraudulent means, be it for example by cheating at an exam, plagiarizing parts of a written assignment or by faking signatures on an attendance sheet, the student's participation in the course will be discontinued, the entire course will be graded as ‘not assessed’ and will be entered into the electronic exam record as ‘fraudulently obtained’. Self-plagiarism, particularly re-using own work handed in for other courses, will be treated likewise.
Examination topics
Reading list
Association in the course directory
Last modified: Mo 07.09.2020 15:39