IT, Politics and Society syllabus page

• Course description

• Class one
• Class two
• Class three
• Class four

Course description

IT, Politics and Society is an ACOM option which can be taken as part of any ACOM module. It is non-technical and to study it does not involve the use of a computer. Rather, what we'll be learning about is the impact of computers on everyday life. How has IT changed the way we relate to one another? How has it changed the global economy? What were and are the motivations for the incredible ubiquity of IT: with computers and computer chips now appearing in everything from cars, to ovens, to toys?

We will also consider more specific issues, such as how communication is affected by our use of computers, whether underprivileged groups like ethnic minorities or the disabled are getting their fair share of the "information society", and even consider whether "virtual reality" is a valid concept or just the invention of some science-fiction writers.

The course is taught not by lectures but by interactive seminars. It is assessed by a single essay of 1,500 - 2,000 words due in on the Thursday of the first week of the exam period.

Welcome to this option - we hope you enjoy it.

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Class one

In the first class we will consider:

• what is information? What is the relationship between information and knowledge? How does information have different qualities?
• information as a resource
• the ways in which information technology enhances our ability to handle information
• the nature of the information society - globalisation, virtualisation, the 24-hour information network

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Class two

In the second class we will consider:

• "digital divides": inequalities in access to IT, and control over IT
• information overload and information loss
• privacy, surveillance and "data mining" - who has access to the online "version" of ourselves?
• cybercrime, hacking and cracking

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Class three

In the third class we will consider:

• the nature of computer-mediated communication (CMC)
• the positive and negative effects of anonymity online
• do "virtual communities" exist?
• can the Internet be said to be a force in favour of democracy and if so why (or why not)?

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Class four

In the fourth class we will consider:

• how IT changes the way we observe and interact with physical reality
• is there such a thing as "virtual reality"?
• why some people believe the Internet might be the first harbinger of a new global mind