Course Description
The recent spread of computers and information and communications technology has significantly changed our way of life, including how we
communicate and make decisions. Much of this work is now down by mobile phones and computers. Things that used to require considerable effort to
find out can now be easily looked up by simply entering a few keywords. But are our brains being used better as a result of this reduced burden?
This seminar aims to deepen students’ understanding of the positives and negatives of the network society by considering the topics below.
Keywords
group work, computer,
information and communications
technology, ICT, Internet,
information society
Course Plan
In small groups, students will engage in group work on topics related to various technological innovations in a society where computers and networks have become
commonplace, as well as the technical infrastructure that supports them and the impact that they have on life in society.
The group work will proceed in the following order: collecting materials, defining and organizing problems, preparing presentation materials, and giving presentations.
Five weeks are allotted for each topic, so each participant will work on three topics over the course of the seminar.
The following list provides examples of possible topics; however, participants are not restricted to this list and are free to select their own topics based on discussions in
their groups.
1) History of the Internet
2) Consequences of search engines
3) Consumption in an online society
4) How the WWW works
5) Creating a webpage
6) The Internet and copyright
7) The Winny trial
8) Law and ethics in an information society
9) Any other related topic
