Cultures of Information & Tech

Catalog description

Cultures of Information and Technology (3) This course focuses on the ways in which technology informs cultural structures and productions from business and entertainment to medicine, popular culture, and everyday life. While we are surrounded by technological objects, concepts, and experiences, we often either take them for granted or imagine them as self-explanatory. The course studies the realities and fantasies of our technological world and investigates the impact of technological innovation, the ways technology talks about itself, and the tools it gives us for making sense of the world. Texts include foundational and contemporary readings in the history and theory of technological change and also writing, film, and other media related to contemporary topics in technological cultures. Students research relevant physical and digital archives; conduct fieldwork on current technological trends; present their findings in a range of formats; and engage in discussion and reflection on the theoretical and methodological questions raised by the readings and their research. Crosslist: LIT-413.