Narrative Futures: Art, Data, Society MSc

**An innovative, interdisciplinary degree with Edinburgh Futures Institute**<br/><br/>We see and shape the world through narrative. The stories that mould our hopes and dreams, that direct our responses to climate change and our economic and political behaviour, are found everywhere: on the page, on the stage and on the screen, in offices, museums and classrooms, in computer labs and in the great outdoors, told by human beings and curated by algorithms.<br/><br/>If you want to investigate how narratives influence our lived realities and how they can offer alternative ways of envisioning the future, then the Edinburgh Futures Institute Masters programme in Narrative Futures is for you. Whether your background or aspirations are creative, technical, governmental or, academic, you will be able to apply the insights gained during your studies.<br/><br/>The programme offers all the benefits of interdisciplinarity while maintaining a strong emphasis on integration by bringing together three broad areas of inquiry: art, data and society.<br/><br/>You will learn how narratives are being transformed:<br/><br/><br/>* in a variety of artistic domains, from creative writing to game design<br/><br/><br/>* in different spheres of social life, from digital markets to religious or environmental discourses<br/><br/><br/>* at the frontier of technological developments in areas such as artificial intelligence and data analysis<br/><br/><br/>For your final project, you will apply your conceptual understanding of storytelling dynamics to produce a new narrative artefact of your own or to critically analyse an existing narrative medium or practice.<br/><br/>This forward-looking programme in Narrative Futures combines hands-on creative and data skills development with research-led theoretical inquiry to help you master the narratives through which human beings perceive and (re)create the world.<br/><br/>**Postgraduate study at the Edinburgh Futures Institute**<br/><br/>This programme is part of an interconnected portfolio of postgraduate study opportunities at Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI).<br/><br/>The Futures Institute supports interdisciplinary teaching, learning and research that is focused on complex global and social challenges. Our programmes are taught by academic experts from many different subject areas.<br/><br/>As a Futures Institute student, you should be proactive and motivated. You will be supported to develop creative, critical, and data-informed thinking that cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries. You will have the space to think deeply about questions linked to your own passions and professional goals and will develop a project based on an issue that you care about.<br/><br/>As well as knowledge specific to your area of study, studying at Edinburgh Futures Institute will give you the skills and understanding you need to become a creative, confident, and critical citizen in a fast-changing world.<br/><br/>These skills include:<br/><br/><br/>* the ability to interrogate issues of global scope using perspectives from across disciplines<br/><br/><br/>* creative and analytic approaches to knowledge<br/><br/><br/>* core data skills<br/><br/><br/>* data ethics<br/><br/><br/>You can join us regardless of whether you already have experience or practical skills in the use and application of digital data.