Moodle@UCSB: Technology and Society Seminar Series

Course categories:

Technology & Society Gateway Seminar: Online Social Networks
Instructor: Ben Zhao
Instructor: Kevin Almeroth
Instructor: Alan Liu
Instructor: Jennifer Earl

Online social networks (OSNs) such as Facebook, LinkedIn, and MySpace make up the fastest growing population on the Internet today, totaling near half a billion users worldwide. More than just effective tools to foster communication and collaboration between friends, they provide a ready platform for the a new wave of Internet applications that blend traditional online communities with trusted social links.

OSNs also provide a rich platform for analyzing and understanding a variety of social questions, from the formation of trust relationships in online environments, to how information propagates through social relationships.

In this seminar, we will examine online social networks from a variety of perspectives: their technological and social impacts on society, their value as experimental and analytical platforms for social questions, and new social and technological challenges on OSNs.

Social and Computer Networks III--Fall 2008
Instructor: Kevin Almeroth
Instructor: Bruce Bimber
Instructor: Alan Liu
Instructor: Jennifer Earl
Instructor: Lisa Parks

This seminar builds upon past offerings in this series,
"Social and Computer Networks." Computer
science, sociology, education, and industry are increasingly interested in
social websites (e.g., MySpace, Friendster, and FaceBook), referral
applications (e.g., Amazon and Netflix), and networks accessed
through cell phones. Scholars
across a broad range of disciplines are applying network-based theories
and methods to online networks. These networks range from literal
computer networks, to networks of websites, to networks of users, and
beyond.

Through student-lead presentations and group discussions, we will address questions that lie at the intersection of social network analysis and computer science. The scope of this seminar is a
continuation of the previous instance of the seminar; however, new and previous
attendees are equally encouraged to attend.

Technology and Politics - Spring 2008
Instructor: Bruce Bimber

The Spring 2008 offering of the Technology & Society Seminar Series
addresses the theme of technology and politics. We will explore topics
such as the use of technology in political campaigns and advocacy,
public policies regarding the regulation or use of technology, and
technology as the product of politics.

As always in this series, graduate students from all departments are invited. New and previous attendees are equally encouraged to attend. The agenda of the seminar will be set by students? interests. The content of the seminar is driven by student presentations on their research or topics of interest, followed by round-table discussion. The seminar typically includes participation by several faculty from diverse backgrounds. Some of the questions we may cover are:

How is technology affecting US politics? Global politics?
Are MySpace, Facebook, and other social networking sites meaningful contributors to democracy? What about virtual worlds?
In what ways does new technology amplify or enhance existing patterns of political power, and in what ways
does it disrupt patterns? How do new winners and losers created by technology respond to their changing
status?
What is the future of privacy? What can be done about it?
How can potentially harmful effects of emerging technologies such as nanoparticles best be anticipated?
How should they be regulated?
Can computer scientists, engineers, and other technologists incorporate considerations about social
implications into their work? Should they?

Information Technologies and Globalization--Fall 2007
Instructor: Lisa Parks

FM 594TS
Technology and Society Gateway Seminar
Professor Lisa Parks
parks@filmandmediastudies.ucsb.edu
T 11-12:30
Ellison Hall 1714

This seminar will provide an opportunity for students to explore research related 
to information technologies and globalization. Each week students will present 
papers and research on such topics as the international expansion of web and 
wireless infrastructures, computing and mobile telephony in developing societies, 
information technologies and national identities, environmental aspects of 
information technologies, or the mapping and visualization of the global information 
economy.

The course is designed to: focus attention upon different ways of studying information 
technologies and social issues in the context of globalization; expose students to 
qualitative research methods; foster a space for lively interdisciplinary discussions; a
nd cultivate ideas for future individual and/or collaborative research.

Social and Computer Networks II--Spring 2007
Instructor: Kevin Almeroth

This seminar builds upon the Spring 2006 offering in this series,
"Social and Computer Networks." Computer
science, sociology, education, and industry are increasingly interested in
social websites (e.g., MySpace, Friendster, and FaceBook), referral
applications (e.g., Amazon and Netflix), and networks accessed
through cell phones. Scholars
across a broad range of disciplines are applying network-based theories
and methods to online networks. These networks range from literal
computer networks, to networks of websites, to networks of users, and
beyond.

Through student-lead presentations and group discussions, we will address questions that lie at the intersection of social network analysis and computer science. The scope of this seminar is a
continuation of the previous instance of the seminar; however, new and previous
attendees are equally encouraged to attend.

New Media and the Reading Experience -- Fall 2006
Instructor: Alan Liu
Instructor: Kevin Almeroth

The Fall 2006 instance of the The Technology and Society Seminar Series (CompSci595N / PoliSci595N / English 593) is co-led by Alan Liu and Kevin Almeroth. It will focus loosely on the mutation of text and reading in digital, multimedia, and networked information environments. What is the current
state of research and technological development in adapting the
relationship between print, orality, and graphics commonly called "text" to new media? Issues of interest might include: hardware
innovations (such as "e-ink" or flexible OLED displays); new text visualization and interface designs; adaptive text aggregation systems
(such as Inform.com);
tools for online reading and annotation; research in digital literacy
and reading practices; text-archiving, -scanning, and -searching
initiatives; blogs and social-networking systems; collective reading
practices; wireless text-messaging; text-encoding; and the relation
between the history and future of the book. The seminar will be loosely
affiliated with the UC Transliteracies Project: Research in the
Technological, Social, and Cultural Practices of Online Reading (http://transliteracies.english.ucsb.edu).

Social and Computer Networks I--Spring 2006
Instructor: Kevin Almeroth

The study of social networks is an important area of social scientific
inquiry. Network analysts have developed a range of methodological
tools for studying the relationships between individuals, groups, and
other social entities and, perhaps more importantly, patterns of
relations. The application of these methods have allowed for major
advances in the understanding of how ties between people and larger
social entities (e.g., organizations) are patterned as well as the
consequences of these patterns.

Recently a range of scholars have begun to apply network-based theories
and methods to online networks. These networks range from literal
computer networks, to networks of websites, to networks of users, and
beyond.

Industry has also been increasingly interested in social networks, as
evidenced by popular websites such as MySpace, Friendster, and
FaceBook. A similar trend is found in referral applications, such as
Amazon and Netflix's referral applications, which use similarity in
expressed preferences in books, music, and videos to recommend new
merchandise to consumers.

Wireless Technology, New Applications and Social Interaction--Fall 2005
Teacher: Kevin Almeroth

The seminar's focus for Fall 2005 will be the intersection of
technology, applications, and consequences. How do we study the
changes brought on by developments in technology and new
applications? If we understand the changes caused by current technology, what new applications will become available as new
technology are manufactured? Will new applications be driven
entirely by technology or will user needs and wants play a role?
And finally, what kinds of technologies can we expect to see in
the short- to longer-term?