1. New courses, for a new world
Faculty of Social Sciences

2. Faculty Overview 1 of 5 faculties ⅓ of student population
Interdisciplinary projects
Broad subject range

3. Departments Architecture Landscape Architecture East Asian Studies Law
Economics
Management School
Education
Politics
Geography
Sociological Studies
Information School
Sheffield Methods Institute
Journalism Studies
Urban Studies and Planning

4. Faculty Overview Architecture Landscape Architecture
East Asian Studies
Law
Economics
Management School
Education
Politics
Geography
Sociological Studies
Information School
Sheffield Methods Institute
Journalism Studies
Urban Studies and Planning

5. BA Digital Media & Society
Professor Helen Kennedy

6. Faculty of Social Sciences
BA Hons
Digital Media & Society

7. True or False?
1. If a social media platform or app has a privacy policy, it means it will protect your privacy (eg it won’t share your information with other websites or companies).
One slide for each statement.
Participants hold up GREEN card if they agree, RED card if they disagree.
Take a note of balance of responses – on a white board?
FALSE – privacy statements tell you what a company does; it doesn’t guarantee protections

8. True or False?
2. Police use social media data mining to predict who is likely to commit a crime. If you end up on their ‘heat list’, they’ll pay you a visit to warn you that you’re being watched.
It’s true – this has happened in the US, eg Chicago

9. Good or Bad?
3. Instagram banned eating disorder hashtags (eg #anorexia, #proana, #thinspiration) …
Three choices of card – GREEN if you think this is a good thing, RED if you think it is a bad thing, or ORANGE if you are neutral / have no opinion

10. Good or Bad?
4. … and users worked around the ban, creating variants (eg #thinspo became #thinspooooo).

11. Why Digital Media and Society?
Digital media are transforming society
Are digital media good or bad for society?
Digital media penetrate all sectors …
… therefore there’s lots to think about …
… and lots of jobs!
Underlined / bold departments contribute CORE modules.

12. BA Hons Digital Media and Society
Faculty-wide programme
Contributing departments:
Sociological Studies (= home department)
Information School
Sheffield Methods Institute
Education
Journalism Studies
Management
Underlined / bold departments contribute CORE modules.

13. Programme Structure

14. Themed Routes Journalism (years 1, 2 & 3) Education (years 1, 2 & 3)
Marketing (years 2 & 3)
not all themed routes are available in all years
They operate differently – Journalism & Marketing have pre-requisistes; Education is offered on a pick-and-mix basis

15. Modules: Types & Examples

16. Dissertation: Example Topics
Self-tracking devices (eg How do the they change behaviour? Who ‘owns’ the data they produce?)
Digital media & protest
Social media & social change (eg ideal body images; our sense of identity; intimate relationships; integration & segregation)

17. Work Placement
Careers Service & Staff Team: support & extensive connections
There is a work placement module in the final year of the BA which enables students to gain experience working in a digital media industry or department of a public/third sector or charitable organization. Members of the staff team and the careers service have extensive links with relevant organisations across Sheffield and in the broader region. These include the small-scale digital agencies based in Sheffield’s Electronic Works, the gaming industry in Sheffield, the city council, museums and other local entreprises (eg former students have done UX placements at a local company called WANdisco and web design/data management placements with a local social enterprise called Regather - and many digital agencies in the region. Students will be supported by the staff team and the careers service in setting up their placements.

18. Careers / Next Steps Future study in:
eg digital media, digital sociology, internet & society, law, education, journalism, data/information studies, librarianship
More digital jobs than all other categories combined in The Guardian media job listings

19. Careers II
Marketing, communications, public engagement (eg social media account manager) in:
Local & city councils
Museums, galleries, theatres
Charities
Information governance and policy (eg data protection officer) in:
Health, education, media & non-academic research
UX (User Experience Design), usability studies, user research, search in:
Digital media organisations & agencies
Game design companies

20. Other Experiences @ Sheffield
Study Abroad
Sheffield Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE)
‘Real life’ University research projects
Achieve More
Global Opportunities in the Social Sciences (GLOSS)
International experience: policy initiatives, international development, research

21. Any questions?

22. BA Quantitative Social Science
Dr Andrew Bell

23. Quantitative Social Sciences
Dr. Andrew Bell, Sheffield Methods Institute
@andrewjdbell

24. Why does this degree exist?
“The British Academy is deeply concerned that the UK is weak in quantitative skills, in particular but not exclusively in the social sciences and humanities. This deficit has serious implications for the future of the UK’s status as a world leader in research and higher education, for the employability of our graduates, and for the competitiveness of the UK’s economy.”
“Society Counts”. British Academy, 2012
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

25. Why does this degree exist?
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

26. Why does this degree exist?
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

27. Why does this degree exist?
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

28. Why does this degree exist?
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

29. Why does this degree exist?
People in this country have had enough of experts” (Michael Gove, June 2016)
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

30. Why does this degree exist?
People in this country have had enough of experts” (Michael Gove, June 2016)
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

31. Enter Q-step A multi-million pound investment across 15 universities
Social Science degrees that emphasise quantitative skills
Quantitative Social Sciences (BA) is our Q-step offer
See Q-step prospectus for what the different universities offer
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

32. Quantitative Social Sciences (BA)
Study a range of modules across the social sciences (Geography/Urban Planning, Sociology/Politics/Criminology, Management)
But also core methods modules across the three years: e.g. in year 1:
Data Visualisation
Survey Design
Data Analysis
Research Project Design
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

33. Quantitative Social Sciences (BA)
What makes it different (compared to other ‘standard’ social science degrees and other Q-step degrees)
Focus on research and research skills
Interdisciplinary
A ‘home’ in the Sheffield Methods Institute
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

34. Applied Social Sciences (BA)
Note: we also run another degree
Similar structure, but with more of a focus on qualitative methods as well as quantitative.
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

35. Job Opportunities
Very employable degree - we teach very employable skills
Placements available
Partners such as YouGov, Linney and others
Advisory group of employers to help us teach the skills that graduates need
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

36. Job Opportunities Dr. Andrew Bell andrew.j.d.bell@sheffield.ac.uk

37. Job Opportunities Dr. Andrew Bell andrew.j.d.bell@sheffield.ac.uk

38. Bringing Quants into the school classroom
Even where students not coming to our degree, there are ways to introduce quants to students in the social science classrooms…
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

39. Bringing Quants into the school classroom
Google Trends
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

40. Bringing Quants into the school classroom
Gapminder
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

41. Bringing Quants into the school classroom
Why Numbers Matter video series
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

42. Follow @shefmethods on Twitter Visit www.sheffield.ac.uk/smi
Want to know more
on Twitter
Visit
Read our fliers
Ask me questions!
Dr. Andrew Bell
@andrewjdbell

43. Summer School 11th - 14th July
Year 11 pupils
4 day residential experience
Interactive workshops from all 14 departments
Social activities
Fully funded