Technologies such as gene editing, self-driving cars and robots that care for the elderly will likely be available within the coming decades. These will add to existing technologies such as smart phones, cameras, and other sensors, which have already altered the social landscape that we inhabit. At the same time, increases in data and computing…

Whether through hashtag feminism movements like #MeToo, blogging/vlogging, investigative journalism, public policy work, theorizing, or creative writing, 21st century feminists are using writing to raise awareness, call out injustice, and initiate social change.  This seminar will engage in contemporary feminist writing through two intertwined class components: 1) reading and discussing contemporary feminist writing for social…

This course will critically examine how science-fiction and sci-fi/fantasy franchises such as Harry Potter, Doctor Who, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hunger Games, Star Trek, and Star Wars act as modern myths that have both reflected and modeled social values, particularly in British and American society, from the end of the Second World War until…

In this section of IST 343 designed for Honors students, we will critically examine how individuals, groups, and society create and are created by digital data and algorithms. Students will explore social, political, legal, and professional issues across varying contexts including social media and the Internet of Things. Our contemporary information environment is fully ‘mediatized’,…

US foreign policy is at a crossroads. Three decades after the end of the Cold War, and after nearly twenty years of conflict in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the American people are engaged in a fundamental debate about the future of the US role in the world. When should the United States intervene in…