Mar 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Catalog and Handbook 
    
2017-2018 Catalog and Handbook [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

SOC 419 - The Digital Revolution and the Information Society (3 Credits)

Prerequisite: None
This course provides an overview of the information revolution over the last fifty years. Students will develop a critical perspective regarding narratives and theories that explain this phenomenon as a variant of “technological determinism.” They will examine and evaluate alternative theoretical perspectives and explanations, e.g., the social constructivist understanding of science and technology as objects and systems that derive significance and definitions from their embeddedness in social, political, and economic contexts. Students will engage in research projects related to “information work”; the “digital divide” and technological access; virtual communities; digital communities, and popular culture to assess and evaluate various information technologies and their impact on human communities.