SOC 3116 Lecture 1: SOC3116 - Lec 1&2

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 3116
• Professor: Stephan Larose

Document Summary

What is technology? technology : derived from the greek (art, craft, or skill) and logos (word knowledge or science): artifact as well as knowledge of those artifacts. Society: a group of people sharing some common features such as political boundaries or citizenship, language, culture, ethnic background, religion, material accumulation, values etc. We live in a world od things that people have made. As humans beings, we have relations to the things we have made. These things are a vital aspect od the human condition. Example for james j flink (1988) the automobile age. Three common assumptions: technology as a separate sphere, independent from society, following its own internal or autonomous logic (obeying its own laws and principle, look at slides. Frequently portrayed as revolutions leading to historical eras defined by a particular technology. Intellectually: simple cause and effect sequence, neglects humen agency and social arrangements. Politically: uncritical embracing of technological change, defensive adaptation to it, or simple rejection of it.