Teaching
Communication Studies 395-23/Sociology 376-23
Internet and Society
What's it like to maintain a blog? How about if you are in Iran or
China? Are there downsides to using Friendster, Orkut or Thefacebook?
Why might you not want your parents or professors to use them? Are you
breaking any laws if you use Kazaa or Grokster? Could you be breaking
laws for sharing your research findings? How does Amazon know what books
and music may appeal to you? How do you know whether you should trust the
contents of an email message? What can SimCity teach you about public
policy?
In this course, we take a social scientific look at communication
and information technologies with particular emphasis on the Internet. The
goal of the course is to understand how the development of
communication and information technologies is embedded in a myriad of
social institutions and social processes. We consider the cultural,
economic, political and social implications of such technologies.
Each student will be required to maintain a blog for which the necessary
technical skills will be covered in class.
Maximum class size: 40. Half of the slots are reserved for
Sociology majors. Preference will be given to juniors and seniors.
I do not post information about meeting times and location on this Web
site. See CAESAR for
those
details.
You will be graded on your ability to think critically about the
material we cover in class and communicate your thoughts in writing (e.g.
through your blog) and in class discussions.
