The PhD Program in Humanities, Technology and Society aligns with the European Commission's guidelines on ensuring that the use of new digital technologies for the benefit of cultural, artistic, social, environmental, and economic heritage is informed by principles of sustainability, social inclusion, and human-centricity. It is crucial that the development and adoption processes of new technologies, as well as the digitalization of social relations (citizenship, work, market, etc.), are managed through a reflective approach capable of critically considering their premises and implications. If the goal of using new technologies is to enhance collective well-being and social, economic, and environmental sustainability, then the current and growing techno-digital infrastructure of businesses, cultural institutions, public administration, the third sector, and the territory in general, must be guided by socio-economic and legal competencies and, importantly, rest on a robust humanistic and ethical foundation. Therefore, it is necessary to intervene through advanced education, continuous training, and lifelong learning, supporting the acquisition and development of new skills in frontier areas that require the mastery of theories, methods, and techniques from various disciplines.

In this sense, the Course leverages the multidisciplinary expertise, cultural resources, research experiences, and advanced training available at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, enriched by the valuable humanistic competencies developed by partner cultural institutions—the Fondazione Collegio San Carlo di Modena and the Almo Collegio Borromeo di Pavia—throughout their long and prestigious histories.

The educational pathway, innovative in content and method, and with an international outlook, integrates theoretical and methodological competencies from the humanities and social sciences, combines them with technological and computational knowledge, and orients them towards both frontier and current areas and problems.

The educational pathway, conceived as an incubator of critical thinking and inspired in every aspect by a logic of interdisciplinary hybridization, encompasses the humanities (history, philosophy, philology, book science, etc.), socio-economic disciplines (economics, sociology, law, organizational science, management, etc.), and computer science. It will be enriched by a wide range of conferences, seminars, and workshops in the doctoral program's disciplinary areas, with the aim of presenting the doctoral candidates with themes and research dimensions to engage with. Additionally, stays abroad will be encouraged to promote in-depth study and scientific exchange at an international level.