Description:
This course provides a survey of the key social issues related to information technology development, decision-making and use. Its focus is on the critical analysis of social, cultural, philosophical, ethical, legal, public policy and economic issues relating to information technologies, and how these interactions shape workplace decisions and technology use.
Learning Objectives:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Analyze social aspects of information technology including benefits and drawbacks of technology implementation.
- Identify and evaluate sources and tools they can use to support decision-making and discussion in the work place.
- Identify approaches to resolving social dilemmas surrounding information technology development, decision-making and use.
- Develop documents on best practices with information technology for organizational use.
- Demonstrate new information technologies in such a way as to convey both the social assumptions built into the system and potential impacts of the system on social relations, work-life and productivity.
- Describe the value of social informatics in professional and intellectual disciplines.
- Apply skills of persuasion, argument and effective written communication in relation to social issues.