ID053 Creation of a Centre for Digital Social Science

The Idea

Creation of a Centre for Digital Social Science. 

Why This Idea Should Be Considered

Processes of digitization are changing society, economy, politics, culture, psychology, and knowledge at an unprecedented rate. This is likely to accelerate as AI becomes more and more embedded into everyday life. The University currently hosts a Digital Society research Institute and this could be expanded by setting up a centre for the study of the digitization of society in the social sciences. This could run across Sociology, Politics, Education, Philosophy, and Media and also take in other units, where there is clear relevance – for example, Economics. 

How We Would Implement This Idea

Introduce interdisciplinary UG and PGT programmes focused on the study of the digital society, taking in issues relating to the impact of the digital sphere upon social relations and environment, labour markets, skills, knowledge, education, politics and online politics, psychological concerns and wellbeing. These programmes would also teach methods relating to the study of the digital society (qual, quant, big data), equip students with the skills to thrive in the digitized world, and place Keele at the cutting edge of the social scientific study of processes of digitization. 

What Success Would Look Like

Success would look like that revitalization of the social sciences at Keele around issues relating to digitization. Given current developments in society, and related developments in the social sciences, this is the key area of development Keele needs to explore in order to position its social science offer for the future.