Sociology of knowledge, science and technology
SOCI2088
CPD-2.37
12:30-14:20
Monday
1st semester
Lecture venue
Lecture time
Offer semester
In this class, we will discuss how technology transforms our way of life. We will discuss cases of the past, present, and future. We will pay particular attention to information technology, which both empowers and controls the people of our time, and more recent innovations that have already started to transform society and will influence your life in ways you are currently unaware of.
A key goal in this class is to complicate the view that technological progress simply makes everything better. We will critique this deterministic view. We will learn that we live in what Anthony Giddens calls a "runaway world," where technological developments are difficult to control and always accompanied by unintended consequences.
I minimize my own talking time in my classes, as research shows you are more likely to learn from engaging with each other and the course material, through exercises and discussions. You are expected to be fully prepared for each class, and will be tested on the material. You might, at any time, be asked to provide summary and analysis of readings during lectures.
Students will learn to distinguish between modern and contemporary perspectives on science and technology, and develop ways to think about technological change, in the past, present, and future.
Task
Weighting
Class participation
15%
In-class quizzes
40%
Annotation assignments (on Perusall)
15%
Essay
30%
All key readings and recommended materials will be uploaded on Perusall.
Ong, W. J., & Hartley, J. (2013). Orality and literacy. Routledge. Selections.
Carr, N. (2020). The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains. WW Norton & Company. Selections.
Hobsbawm, E. J. (1999). Industry and Empire: from 1750 to the Present Day. The new press. Selections.
MacKenzie, D., & Wajcman, J. (1999). The social shaping of technology. Open University. Selections.
Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The second machine age: Work, progress, and prosperity in a time of brilliant technologies. WW Norton & Company. Selections.
Van Dijk, J. (2020). The digital divide. John Wiley & Sons. Selections.
Bennett, W. L., & Segerberg, A. (2013). The logic of connective action: Digital media and the personalization of contentious politics. Cambridge University Press. Selections.
Ladegaard, I. (2025). Open Secrecy: How Information Technology Empowers Shadowy Groups. University of California Press. Selections.
Zuboff, S. (2019). The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power. PublicAffairs. Selections.
Schneier, B. (2015). Data and Goliath: The hidden battles to collect your data and control your world. WW Norton & Company. Selections.
