Culture and Technology

Catalog description

The aim of this course is to examine the relationship between technology and culture in the broadest sense, from the role of tools used in society to the impact of high technology in post-industrial societies. The course begins with an overview of the theoretical approaches to the linkage between technology, culture and society. Students will examine the role of technology as a determinant of culture. Particular attention will be given to the diffusion and transfer of new technology and its impact on social and cultural issues. This course is designated as Integrated Domain because of the interdependence of humanities and social sciences as fundamental to understanding the role technology plays in the transformation of the nature and influence of cultural properties such as education, work and economics, politics, and human relationships. Using communication theories that focus on technology, students will grapple with ethical questions of power and justice and the way dominant cultural ideologies and technological developments shape norms that get solidified in attitudes, norms, and workplace and public policies.