Impacts Of Technology: Understanding how we understand technology
To speak of technology's "impact" relies upon numerous assumptions: does "impact" imply technology is a distinct and unilateral force? In this course we will go beyond such a view to examine technology's relationship to the social and personal domains of life. We will first, briefly, look at examples of agriculture, transportation, and gender in technical-social systems so as to improve our ability to question our assumptions about the way things are. Then, we will consider Information/Communication Technologies (ITC) and their relationship to community, identity, happiness, and (open/free) cultural production.
Throughout the course, we will be considering how others have thought of technology, particularly predictions about their implications for society's and our own future contentment. Above and beyond understanding the "pros" or "cons" of technological change, I hope we will be able to identify common pitfalls in thinking about technology and gain the ability to reach for a more sophisticated understanding of technological implications. Consequently, this course aims to provide you with tools to critically evaluate the way technology is thought of:
~ Statement on Academic Integrity
"... Academic integrity is the guiding principle for all that you do, from taking exams, making oral presentations to writing term papers. It requires that you recognize and acknowledge information derived from others, and take credit only for ideas and work that are yours."
Attendance: Your participation and attendance are expected; this entails coming to class on time, with the readings or any other assignments completed. Failing to attend class the maximum of 3 times places your grade in jeopardy by -5%.
Reading: Thorough coverage of the week’s required reading in advance of class is of utmost importance. If it become clear that students have not done the required reading, they may be asked to leave that class.
In-class presentation: Each student will give a presentation near the end of the semester based on one of their written assignments.
Papers: A midterm paper (5 pages) and a final paper (10 pages) are required. All papers should demonstrate a close reading of the required texts and exhibit a method of critical analysis.
Critical responses
The per-class response (~200 words) is a mandatory assignment. You are required to post your response before 9 AM of the day of the class. The critical response format is an excellent tool for active reading: to make sense of the texts and to add your own critical insights to what you’ve read. These responses also contribute to a much richer and more interesting class discussion. You should see this as an opportunity to practice your writing skills, so treat it not like emails you share with friends but as a published document because it will be read by others on the web.
In order to receive credit for a response, it must be complete, thoughtful, and on time. Your postings should demonstrate that you have a thorough understanding of the text. Feel free to draw upon your own experience, but you should remember to connect it to the point of the essay.
Grading
A = Excellent. Writing demonstrates impressive understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is fluid, clear, analytical, well-organized and grammatically polished. Reasoning and logic are well-grounded and examples precise.
B = Good. Work demonstrates a thorough and solid understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is clear and competent, but is somewhat general, a bit vague, or otherwise lacking in precision. While analytical, writing presents more description than analysis. Arguments are solid but not thoroughly original or polished.
C = Fair. Work demonstrates a somewhat fragmented understanding of readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Shows acquaintance with readings and ideas, but not intellectual engagement. Written work is choppy and argument somewhat difficult to follow, examples are vague or irrelevant, and ideas are imprecise. Work veers toward underdeveloped ideas, off-topic sources or examples, personal anecdotes, creative writing, memoir, etc.
D = Unsatisfactory. Work demonstrates little understanding or even acquaintance with readings, discussions, themes and ideas. Written work is choppy, fractured and unclear. Argument follows little logical development, or work presents little discernable argument whatsoever.
F = Failure / Unacceptable. Work does not demonstrate understanding of topics, ideas and readings. This is also the grade for work not submitted and plagiarized work.
Review some of the quotations on the Wikipedia's Failed Predictions article about technology. Write a ~5 page (~1300 word) essay applying the concepts we learned about conceptualizing technology and technological predictions to one or more of those quotations. Realize, that many of these quotations are not sourced and some of the most famous are urban myths. (Determining the provenance of a quotation is encouraged; even if there is no source that you can find, it is best to say so.)
In your essay, you might consider the following questions. Do the quotations engage the notions of determinism or teleonomy? What do these predictions say about technology? Do they engage notions of technology's relation to the social, how it changes, or its propogation? In what ways are these predictions, even if mythical, act as a story for understanding technology. That is, what do these say about our understanding of technology at the time at which they are reputed to have been said, or about our seemingly present fondness for them?
Due Oct 17 (though early submissions are fine.)
Write a ~10 page paper (~2500 words) demonstrating an ability to analyze one or more of the technologies we read about from the perspective of this course. The analytical tools available to you in this project include finding and challenging assumptions, identifying common themes and narratives, applying key concepts, and explaining shortcomings in understanding technology. You may pursue this project in at least two ways. You might wish to focus on a case or two (e.g., race and gender online) and perform a broad analysis. Or, you might apply a few analytical themes (e.g., conceptions of movement/change in technology) across many cases.
For example, an outline of the first approach might look like:
Concisely explain the concepts/themes
Introduce us to the cases (e.g., identity and relationships) and describe the ways in which the technology was discussed in the readings.
Perform your own analysis, for example:
Since this is a relatively open-ended assignment -- I want you to demonstrate the objectives of the course but also engage an issue you are interested in -- I encourage you to send a short (~200 word) proposal/outline to me by November 16 so I can provide feedback if appropriate.
Due Dec 12
In the first week I will introduce the structure of the course and we will review some of the key concepts in thinking about technology.
Sep 05
Sep 07
In what ways do we take for granted the relationships between technological systems, society, the market, and our own expectations?
Sep 12
Sep 14
bt=Controlling Technology: Contemporary Issues e=W. B. Thompson a=Buffalo, NY p=Prometheus Books y=1991 pp=265-274
Before we begin our own consideration of change from information and communication technologies (ICT) -- though technology can also effect closure and momentum -- what do historians say about earlier attempts to understand the consequences of technology? Why did our predecessors underestimate the capabilities of computers and what led them astray?
"If the world should blow itself up, the last audible voice would be that of an expert saying it can't be done." - Peter Ustinov
"It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow." - Robert Goddard (1882-1945)
Sep 19
ch=9 p=St. Martin's Press bt=Technology and the Future y=1997 ed=7 e=Albert H. Teich a=New York r=20060413
Sep 21
ch=10 p=St. Martin's Press bt=Technology and the Future y=1997 ed=7 e=Albert H. Teich a=New York i=031206747X c3=T14.5 .T4416 1997 r=20060413
Some claim virtual communities allows us to relate with others in new ways, many of whom we would have otherwise never met. Others are concerned about the ways in which virtuality might be weakening our "real world" interactions. What evidence is there for these arguments and might the real effect of virtual communities be a patchwork of virtual/real strengthening/weakening social fabric?
Sep 26
bt=Small Pieces Loosely Joined: A Unified Theory of the Web p=Perseus Publishing y=2002 a=Cambridge r=20060327
Sep 28
ch=1 e=Marc Smith and Peter Kollock bt=Communities in Cyberspace a=London p=Routledge Press y=1999 r=20060814
Oct 03
Oct 05
e=Marc Smith and Peter Kollock bt=Communities in Cyberspace a=London p=Routledge Press y=1999 r=20041120
e=Marc Smith and Peter Kollock bt=Communities in Cyberspace a=London p=Routledge Press y=1999 ch=5 r=20041118
"On the Internet, no one knows you're a dog." Nor do they necessarily know your race, gender, or other "meat space" characteristics.
Oct 12
Oct 17
ed=Ron Eglash and Jennifer L. Croissant and Giovanna Di Chiro and Rayvon Fouché bt=Appropriating Technology Vernacular Science and Social Power p=University of Minnesota Press a=Minnesota y=2004
How are people now expressing themselves and relating to each other online? In this case we often see that the "virtual" and "real" dichotomy is false. People now move in -- and between -- both spaces.
Oct 19
bt=Into the Blogosphere: Rhetoric, Community, and Culture e=L. Gurak and S. Antonijevic and L. Johnson and C. Ratliff and J. Reyman y=2004 r=20060814
Rather than technology simply "impacting" the social domain, perhaps it is now enabling the emergence of novel forms of social organization not possible before.
Oct 26
Oct 31
Beyond the giddy hype of technological novelty, in the end, don't we want to be joyful and contented creatures? Is technology helping us achieve this?
Nov 02
bt=Questioning Technology e=John Zerzan and Alice Carnes p=New Society Publishers a=Philadelphia, PA y=1990 r=20040930
Nov 07
ch=1 p=St. Martin's Press bt=Technology and the Future y=1997 ed=7 e=Albert H. Teich a=New York r=20060413
Information technology is now enabling us to collaborate together as never before. How is this, and what are the implications?
Nov 09
e=Marc Smith and Peter Kollock bt=Communities in Cyberspace a=London p=Routledge Press y=1999 r=20041120
Nov 14
Nov 16
Nov 21
Nov 23
Nov 28