Society and Technology

What it is about

You will learn how data infrastructures are embedded in social, political and cultural contexts and what consequences this has for security, risks, trust and justice. You will receive basic social science concepts and epistemological insights as well as initial qualitative methods to analyze societal effects of data infrastructures and to develop responsible solutions.

What you will be able to do

• Evaluate societal dimensions of data infrastructures
• Assess uses, security requirements and social consequences
• Apply basic social science approaches
• Analyze societal impacts and risks of case studies
• Critically reflect on method choice and empirical findings
• Understand foundations of social science epistemology
• Introduction to qualitative methods for analyzing the social

What the module consists of

• VorlesungConveying theoretical foundations on societal, political and cultural dimensions; introduction to technology assessment and epistemology
• Übung/PräsentationApplication of concepts to case studies, student presentations and group work for in-depth understanding
• Video-PräsentationenSupplement and illustration of lecture content

Teaching method

• PowerPointExplanation of the basics and visualization of complex facts
• VideoAdditional presentation of content and examples
• Student presentationsPromotion of transferability and discussion
• Gruppenübungen / Break-out-GruppenApplication of concepts to concrete case examples and critical exchange
• Flipchart / Poster / Scenario-buildingInteractive development and visualization of solution concepts