Sociology (SOCI) 460

Overview

Sociology 460 is a three-credit, senior-level university course that is designed to encourage critical thinking vis-à-vis information technology. This course is designed to increase your understanding of technology, information technology, and the impact technology has on your life and our world.

Outline

• Unit 1: Introduction
• Unit 2: Theories of Information Technology
• Unit 3: Information Technology and Work
• Unit 4: Surveillance, the Panopticon, Facebook, Social Media, and the Mercers
• Unit 5: The Deepening Divide
• Unit 6: The Religion of Technology
• Unit 7: Conclusion

Evaluation

To receive credit for this course you must complete each assignment, obtain a grade of at least 50 percent on the final assignment and an overall course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Activity	Weight
Unit 2 Assignment	10%
Unit 3 Assignment	10%
Unit 4 Assignment	10%
Unit 5 Assignment	10%
Unit 6 Assignment	10%
Unit 7 Assignment	10%
Quizlet Exam	10%
Final Assignment	30%
Total	100%

Materials

Digital course materials

Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:

van Dijk, J. A. G. M. (2005). The deepening divide: Inequality in the information society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Noble, D. F. (1999). The religion of technology: The divinity of man and the spirit of invention. New York: Penguin.

Physical course materials

The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:

Clark, A. C. (1990/1953). Childhood’s end. New York: Del Rey.

Webster, F. (2014). Theories of the information society (4th ed.). London and New York: Routledge.

Other material

All other course materials will be accessed online.

Important links

• Questions about our Program
• Academic advising
• Program planning
• Request assistance
• Support services at AU