Social and Technological Change

Course type

Lecture

Study programs

Content

The course is devoted to unpack basic questions like: How to make technology work for us? Has it worked for us in the past? Will it work for us in the future? Is there a monolithic “us”? What is actually what we want, collectively and individually? How do we act, collectively and individually? We cannot answer these questions without knowing some history, economics, politics, psychology, and evolutionary biology. In the course, we will make such a tour, and in parts, we will draw on bits of probability, causality, and game theory, to sharpen our critical thinking skills. There will be lectures by the professor and student presentations. Some of the topics to be covered in the lectures include:

Objectives

Understand the social, economical, historical, political, and evolutionary context where technology is developed, deployed, and shaped, and how it affects such dimensions.

No previous knowledge, but keen interest in the social impact of technology now and in the past.