After successful completion of the course, students are able to understand society from different perspectives (in the form of business, politics, NGOs and other actors and interests) and as an important factor for the "success", i.e. the development and implementation of (new) technologies. Specific examples are used to illustrate the role that technology plays in modern society and the ethical challenges that sometimes arise as a result. Students are encouraged to think about their own professional role from a broader perspective.
The lecture deals with topics such as:
- The historical discomfort with technology
- Technology and democracy
- Technology controversies and technology assessment
- Technology and risk
- The social construction of technology
- The agency of non-humans: The actor-network theory
- Technology and gender
- Users and technology
- Governing technologies
- Responsible research - responsible innovation
This lecture presents and discusses basic concepts and tension that (can) arise in the relations between technology and society.
Understanding: Students will be able to describe, reflect on and discuss the diverse relationships between technical applications and society.
Apply: Students will be able to describe and interpret potential applications (including ones of their own work/experience) using terms and concepts from the social sciences.
Analyze: Students will be able to differentiate and relate different social phenomena and concepts around technology.
Evaluate: Students will be able to critically examine the role of various technical applications in society to incorporate these considerations into their own future work.
The course contents are taught in the form of a lecture. The focus is on the lecturer’s input, whose structure is documented in the slides. Furthermore, the active participation of the students is encouraged in the form of joint discussions.
