Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Spring 2020 - CMNS 815 G100

Social Construction of Communication Technologies (5)

Class Number: 4764

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2020: Fri, 10:30 a.m.–2:20 p.m.
    Vancouver

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A study of the social theory of information technologies, examining issues affecting computer-mediated communication.

COURSE DETAILS:

This course traces the social birth, life, and death of technologies from clock time to emotion tracking, phonographs to biometrics. It seeks to understand how human agency and historical context, social norms and conceptual biases, feed into the real world impact of media and communications technologies. What is the strategic function of technological predictions that rarely get it right? What kind of underlying assumptions about numbers, the human body, Reason, shape the development of information technologies? How are complex social concepts, like risk (of terrorism, of illness…) operationalised into technologically manipulable forms? These inquiries require focusing on the points where what we usually consider social or cultural questions collide with technological ones. These are places where racialised imaginations of terrorism come in contact with surveillance technologies, or where particular ideas about human choice, willpower and spirituality undergird the latest self-tracking devices.

We will examine relevant approaches to society and technology from across the humanities and the social sciences, including SCOT (social construction of technology), ANT (actor-network theory) and governmentality, as well as recent scholarship in areas like critical data studies and media archaeology. In weekly seminars, we will hold in-depth discussions relating these approaches to contemporary debates around technology, such as algorithmic bias and platform moderation; facial recognition and data privacy; the problems of information verification; and more.

This course is designed to provide a diverse toolkit of ideas and methods for analysing the social life of technologies. You may be coming from a more technical background with an interest in data/AI ethics, or from a more anthropological and cultural perspective. All students are welcome. Prior experience with the humanities is beneficial but not required.

Grading

  • Project Pitch 20%
  • Final Project 60%
  • Participation 20%

NOTES:

This course is designed around in-depth discussions in weekly seminars. Such discussions allow us to grapple with the ideas and methods on offer, practice applying them to concrete problems, and develop our own range of useful approaches that stay with us beyond the semester. This means two things. First, attendance and participation is mandatory. Making it to class and being present for the seminar is a crucial to success in CMNS 815. Second, it is important to fully digest each week’s readings, and come to class with your own notes and questions prepared for discussion.

The assessments are designed to support your intellectual interests. You are expected to conceptualise, plan, and execute a research paper that advances your graduate thesis or other research agenda, while demonstrating a broad relationship to the course themes. Alternative media forms for your project – a short video, website, pamphlet, performance art – are more than welcome.

If you have any questions about the course, I’d be happy to answer them via email at sun_ha@sfu.ca.

The School expects that the grades awarded in this course will bear some reasonable relation to established university-wide practices with respect to both levels and distribution of grades. In addition, the School will follow Policy S10.01 with respect to Academic Integrity, and Policies S10.02, S10.03 and S10.04 as regards Student Discipline. [Note: as of May 1, 2009 the previous T10 series of policies covering Intellectual Honesty (T10.02), and Academic Discipline (T10.03) have been replaced with the new S10 series of policies].

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All course texts will be made available on the course Canvas page.

Graduate Studies Notes:

Important dates and deadlines for graduate students are found here: http://www.sfu.ca/dean-gradstudies/current/important_dates/guidelines.html. The deadline to drop a course with a 100% refund is the end of week 2. The deadline to drop with no notation on your transcript is the end of week 3.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS