ARIN6906: Emerging Technologies and Issues

Emerging Technology Presentation (5 minutes, 500 words equivalent)

You will deliver a concise 5-minute in-class presentation on an emerging technology of your choice, based on independent research and analysis. The presentation should clearly explain the technology’s core operation, situate it within relevant technical or social contexts, and identify a focused problem, implication, or transformation associated with its development. Emphasis is placed on conceptual clarity, appropriate use of examples, and the ability to communicate complex ideas efficiently within strict time constraints. You will submit your presentation slides, including acknowledgement of AI use, tools and sources used in preparation.

Presentation Q&A (5 minutes, 500 words equivalent)

Following your presentation, you will participate in a 5-minute in-class Q&A discussion with your tutor. This component assesses your ability to respond clearly and thoughtfully to questions, demonstrate depth of understanding, and apply relevant concepts from the unit. You should prepare and submit a brief Q&A plan outlining key issues, concepts, or challenges you anticipate, together with indicative response strategies. The Q&A evaluates conceptual integration, responsiveness, and the ability to articulate reasoning under conditions of uncertainty.

In-class Debates (30 minutes, 1000 words equivalent)

Working in teams, you will participate in a structured in-class debate on a key question related to emerging technologies. Each debate involves coordinated argument development, strategic positioning, and responsive engagement with opposing viewpoints. Teams will research the topic, construct a coherent argumentative framework, and assign roles to support an effective collective performance. The debate is followed by a Q&A discussion with your tutor. Prior to the session, each team will submit a strategy outline detailing the core argument, supporting evidence, division of roles, and planned rhetorical approach. Emphasis is placed on the application of relevant concepts from the unit, analytical rigour, strategic coordination, and the capacity to engage critically with competing perspectives.

Speculative Technogram (2500 words)

The Speculative Technogram is a hybrid critical–creative investigation of an emerging technology. You will select or invent a technology and examine how it operates as part of a broader technical and social assemblage. The project combines analytical explanation with speculative construction in order to explore how emerging technologies reorganise perception, agency, labour, governance, and social reality.

Your technogram should first provide a clear account of the technology’s function, logic, and conditions of operation, demonstrating understanding of its technical characteristics and broader context. You will then apply at least two conceptual frameworks from the unit to analyse the transformations the technology introduces across cultural, political, economic, or epistemic domains. The project also requires the development of a speculative scenario or artefact that materially expresses your analysis. This may take the form of a fictional document, scenario, media object, design concept, or other constructed form appropriate to the argument.

A final reflective component documents the role of digital tools used in the research and production process. This includes acknowledgement of platforms, methods, and any use of AI systems, together with brief consideration of how these tools shaped the structure, direction, or outcome of the work.

The technogram assesses your ability to integrate conceptual analysis with creative synthesis, demonstrate methodological awareness, and produce a coherent investigation of emerging technological conditions.