Digital Spaces in Culture (WP)*

first cycle, Master

The participants:
• will develop a critical and practical understanding of how digital technologies are transforming cultural landscapes.
• will be able to analyze the impact of digitalization on cultural institutions, practices, and audiences, to evaluate the use of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and to discuss the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in cultural contexts in a nuanced way.
• will be capable of communicating complex ideas effectively in both academic and creative formats, using digital media as a means of expression and critique, and to reflect on ethical dimensions of digital spaces, including issues of accessibility, representation, data privacy, and technological bias.

not applicable

The opportunities offered by widespread digitization and technological advancement play an increasingly central role in the cultural sector. Therefore, this seminar explores the evolving landscape of cultural production, dissemination, and experience in the age of digital transformation. Participants will critically examine how digitality and the processes of digitization are reshaping cultural institutions, artistic practices, and audience engagement. Main themes circle around topics like opportunities and limitations of the digitization of cultural heritage and creative content in general, the role of immersive technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) in cultural institutions and projects and the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on artistic creation, curation, and interpretation. Through theoretical frameworks, case studies, expert talks and hands-on exploration of digital tools, students will gain insight into both the possibilities and limitations of digital spaces in cultural contexts. Ethical considerations – such as accessibility, data privacy, authorship, and cultural representation – will be critically reflected upon throughout the course.

Beil, B., Freyermuth, G.S., Hamm, I., & Ossa, V. (eds.) (2025). Gaming the Metaverse. Transcript.
Hendriks, P., Sturm, T., Mehler, M., & Buxmann, P. (2024). The impact of artificial intelligence on the evolution of culture. ICIS 2024 Proceedings, 10, pp. 1-17.
Reed, T.V. (2019). Digitized Lives. Culture, Power and Social Change in the Internet Era. 2nd edition. Routledge.
Silver, Minna et al. (2018). Reviving Palmyra in Multiple Dimensions: Images, Ruins and Cultural Memory. Whittles Publishing.
Stalder, F. (2016). The digital condition (translated by Valentine A. Pakis). Polity.
Virtual Museums Forum (2024). Virtual Museums – A Plea: Around the Clock, around the World. De Gruyter.

Portfolio exam

English

4

seminar

3