Language and Technology
The aim of this course is to explore relationships between technology, communication and culture. This will be accomplished through reading a variety of ethnographic studies and theoretical work, and through analyzing the role of language in mediating impacts of technology at a particular site. We will focus on the role of language in creating new technologically mediated relationships, including the role of everyday language in shaping the nature of technological knowledge, organizing technological systems, and socializing participants in technological activities. We will discuss printing and print culture, telecommunications, sound recording, photography, video, film, television, and computer technologies.