FUNdamentals of Technology

0 or 3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

CCT strives to investigate technology as a dynamic part of social life. We study how technology, communication, and culture shape human interaction. But to get the complete picture, we must also investigate technology itself. In 506 we "open the black box" of technology. By the end of the class you will be able to explore technical topics as a socio-technical system. You will explain how they work at a technical level, how they shape and have been shaped by social decisions, and how they affect the lives of their users.Lectures during the first half of the course will demonstrate socio-technical analysis by unpacking the workings of information and communication technologies (ICTs), including computers and the internet. We will examine the architectures upon which these technologies are built, the algorithms and processes through which they operate, and the broader sociotechnical systems in which they are embedded. You will gain an understanding of how and why ICT technologies work the way they do, and how they interact with the world around them, including human beings.Throughout the course, group projects will apply similar methods to unpack a technology. Groups will open the black box of their focused technology and explain how the technology operates within a socio-technical system. The final project will present group research exploring the history, design, and use of that particular technology. Project findings will be presented through a variety of media (including written content, oral presentation, brief videos, and a technical poster).Course Objectives: Obtain a familiarity with ICTs and their inner-workings so that you can: --- communicate with technical people --- be critical about how technologies work and how they are used --- understand and predict interactions in a socio-technical system --- go on to more advanced technical workUse communication and design media to: --- express and communicate technical ideas to a public audience --- understand how digital tools arrange and manipulate information --- attain basic familiarity with practices of media production and design