The Technology and Society gateway seminar is designed to introduce graduate students who are interested in the Technology and Society Ph.D. emphasis to an interdisciplinary area of research. The gateway is required for all Technology and Society Ph.D. emphasis students. Students who have already taken the gateway course but are interested in this topic are encouraged to take the course again. CITS affiliated faculty members are also invited to participate in the seminar. The course is graded P/NP with attendance, participation, and a class presentation during the quarter as the only requirements.
The Winter 2015 seminar will focus on the core of CITS: we will seek to understand the cultural transitions and social innovations associated with technology, from a global, pervasive perspective. We will study the context of technology and its impacts in a variety of disciplines, including examining the diffusion and accessibility of information technology worldwide. To do so, our seminars will alternate between presentations by faculty affiliated with CITS, who will speak about research topics relevant to the mission of CITS; and presentations by enrolled students. Students are welcome to speak either about their own work, or about work by others on a relevant topic. The course will provide opportunities to explore ICT in multiple contexts, potentially including the interaction of ICT and American politics; ICT and credibility and privacy; and ICT and the digital divide.
Through the seminar students will learn both the broad context in which CITS is positioned, and will gain understanding of the interdisciplinary approaches towards ICT-focused research undertaken by CITS faculty.