Topic Description

This topic focuses on the role that new technologies play in defining human interaction. This section provides students with the opportunity to investigate the relationship between technological developments and the cultural ideals that have determined how these developments are used. The course often begins with a discussion of how the Internet is changing our notions of identity and privacy. Students develop research projects on any technological development within its cultural, historical, and/or sociological context. Recently, some students have integrated technology into their research essays themselves by creating "web page" essays that permit them to make use of the interactive, even non-linear possibilities in the technology.