Critical Approaches to Tech Solutions

3 units

This course introduces students to theories and methods used in the cultural analysis of emerging technologies with the aim of promoting a more just and equitable approach to technology design. In particular, it surveys the humanistic scholarship on digital technology and society, with a focus on debates surrounding technological problem-solving. Topics covered include: methods and issues in history of technology, tech solutionism, digital citizenship and community formation, technoableism, information literacy, and more. Through the research and writing methods taught in this course, students acquire the necessary preparation for graduate electives in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.