Technology and Society

Sample Syllabus

You use technology every day. You grew up entertaining yourselves on smartphones and tablets, completing school work on personal computers, and communicating with your peers through social media. But have you ever stopped to consider how all of this technology use affects you, those around you, or society as a whole? This course offers a deep dive into how technology affects our social lives. We will explore how technology affects how we perceive ourselves, how we communicate with others, and how we live, work, and play. We will investigate these issues through sociological theory, cultural commentary, movies, books, and TV shows. And we will consider technology’s promises and perils. Does technology improve our lives, does it destroy our social fabric, and what can we do about it?

Topics Covered

Building a Strong Foundation

The Social Construction of Self

The Attention Economy

The Library

Resisting the Attention Economy

Surveillance and Privacy

Future Imaginings and Past Prophecies

Consumption and Production

Tech and Inequality