Questioning Technology

In this course, we will critically approach and think deeply about the ways in which we shape, and are shaped by digital technologies of the 21st century. What does society give up for the benefits of a given technology? Who is harmed and who benefits from the technology? What are the unexpected impacts of the technology? Informed by texts such as Weapons of Math Destruction, Design Justice, and Race After Technology, we will explore contexts such as surveillance, privacy, exploitative tech, discriminatory design, and AI. We’ll also explore speculative futures as a framework for imagining a different future with technology. (This course is not open to students who have already taken FYSE 1040.)



Dr. Sarah Lohnes Watulak is the Director of Digital Pedagogy and Learning in the Office of Digital Learning and Inquiry at Middlebury.



Dr. Amy Collier is the Associate Provost for Digital Learning and head of the Office of Digital Learning and Inquiry at Middlebury./