Big Data, Technology, and Society. 3 credits

Catalog description

Examines the transformations in the relationships between self and society taking place at the interface between social networks, digital information and communication technologies, new media, and Big Data. Explores what these changes mean for the future of the social sciences and humanities, and what these disciplines in turn can teach us about these changes that the “analytics” of computational and data sciences cannot. Introduces students to cutting-edge methods in digital sociology and digital ethnography, exploring a variety of emerging technology developments, such as augmented reality, digital fabrication, cryptocurrency, blockchain, automation, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. Examines new forms of inequality and intimacy, technologically mediated and distributed practices of human empathy and discernment, and emerging ethical questions for research and university education. Offered by Sociology & Anthropology . Limited to three attempts.