The World Wide Web has transformed the way we work, collaborate, engage in commerce, participate in politics and interact socially. This course focuses on the contribution of social science to understanding life in the Digital Age. While attention is paid to relevant insights and approaches from other disciplines, for example applied physics and computer science, the primary focus is on theoretical and empirical contributions from sociology, political science and economics. This course equips students with the theory and methods for understanding the social, political and economic impact of the Internet. Students will also learn how digital methods and big data are being used to answer long-standing questions in social science.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Critically assess the social, political and economic impact of the World Wide Web.
- Understand how big data are being used to answer long-standing social science research questions.
- Conduct basic social network analysis.
- Research available data, tools and methods for studying online social behaviour.
- Compare social scientific approaches to studying the Web with those from other disciplines.
Indicative Assessment
Tutorial participation (10%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 5]Research brief on digital economy data sources (5%, 500 words) [Learning Outcome 4]
Social network analysis problem set (15%) [Learning Outcome 3]
Exam (30%, 3 hours) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 5]
Class paper (40%, 3500 words) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact: 18 hours of lectures and 18 hours of tutorials.
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Ackland, R. (2013), Web Social Science: Concepts, Data and Tools for Social Scientists in the Digital Age, SAGE Publications.Assumed Knowledge
Students are advised to have undertaken some social science courses previously.Areas of Interest
- Policy Studies
- Political Sciences
- Social Research
- Sociology
- Economics
- Communications
Specialisations
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $3180 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $4860 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4803 | 19 Feb 2018 | 27 Feb 2018 | 31 Mar 2018 | 25 May 2018 | In Person | N/A |
