1)
What is Science and Technology Studies (STS)?
2)
Why not just use social solutions for social problems? Why bother with
STS?
a.
Marxist analysis as a valuable critique of social problems: extraction
of surplus value
c.
Social analysis alone is not enough: regardless of the economic system,
must take technology design into account
3)
How do normative issues (“values,” “ideology”) enter into STS? What is
"the politics of design?"
a.
Technophobe view: technology is inherently evil. (e.g. unibomber)
b.
Techno-utopian view: technology is inherently good. (e.g. Walt Disney)
c.
Technology is neutral view: “a hammer can be used to murder or to build
a house. The technological artifacts themselves are therefore politically
neutral.”
d.
STS takes a 4th approach – the Social Constructionist view.
4)
Examples of the social constructionist view:
a.
Classist engineer Robert Moses constructs the bridges on Long Island such
that low clearance bridges lead to beaches and parks, preventing poor people
from cluttering up his nice areas reserved for the rich. After Moses dies,
the bridges are still doing his dirty work – impossible to analyze under
the “technology is neutral” view. Artifacts can have politics.
b.
Power stations built in 1923 in Berlin show strong centralization, but
those in London 1923 show strong decentralization – different “cultural
styles.”
c.
The first voice recognition software worked better on men than women –
not due to an individual’s sexist agency, but do the structural
sexism in the institutions.
6) Exercise: description of an affordance
in one of your fave childhood toys.
(Note: select one affordance, as specifically
as possible).
7) Handout on qualitative social science research methods
8) Examples of social science research in design from Intel