SOCS 301: Meanings of New Technologies

This course investigates how new technologies are affecting our place within, and our perspectives towards contemporary thought and culture, and natural systems. The course introduces and uses methodologies from the social sciences, including political science, ethnography, psychology, philosophy, science and technology studies, and sociology, as well as those from the arts, media and design. The course includes critical examinations into current technological systems, such as social media, artificial intelligence, robotics, biotechnologies, virtual reality, geographic information systems, and geo-engineering. The course asks students to consider the relationship between new technologies and systems of thought and power.