FYS 105 Technology and Social Values
This course will use sociological theories and methods to investigate how technological innovations support or constrain the social world. We will examine how social, institutional and organizational contexts have facilitated or inhibited technological development. Our emphasis will be on digital technologies and we will carefully consider our use and ultimate goals for these technologies. We will discuss the role of informed citizens in the governance and control of new technologies. Finally, we will discuss alternative ways of organizing and experiencing our world and what these might be able to teach us about new possibilities and directions for our social and political future. The course may have several full-day fieldtrips.