Topic outline

  • TU-E6150 - Technology and Society

    Responsible teacher: Johanna Ylipulli

    Course assistant: Rahim Ahsanullah

    firstname.lastname@aalto.fi


    Zoom session links are at the bottom of this page.


    Description of the course content

    The course is designed for engineering and design students who want to learn a societal perspective into technology. The course provides an overview of how social sciences see the world, especially when it comes to technology and society. The course also sheds light on social science methodology, namely how a variety of methods are used in social sciences to study technology – its design and development processes, use and broader societal implications. The course does not aim to convert students into social scientists, but it rather intends to explain how engineering and design work is inherently societal whether the engineer or designer acknowledges it or not.

    After the course the student knows the basics of how social scientific thinking and perspectives can be applied in engineering and design work. Especially, the student learns how technology, society and culture are in profoundly reciprocal relationship shaping each other, and therefore, technology should not be seen as a separate from society or culture.


    Prerequisites

    This is a master's level course, so it is assumed that the students have a bachelor's degree or similar level of studies done.


    Assessment Methods and Criteria

    The course teaching consists of lectures and group presentations and discussions. In the beginning of each week, a lecturer introduces a theme that is then deepened through readings and group work. The group work consists of preparing a presentation on one theme and facilitating the following discussion for the rest of the students, and actively participating in the discussions on other themes, facilitated by other groups.

    Subject to slight changes

    The grading is based on

    • Participation to lectures on Mondays 1/3
    • Participation in seminars on Fridays 1/3
    • Group presentation 1/6
    • Individual writing task 1/6

    More detailed description of the assessment can be found on the bottom of this page, after the schedules.


    PLEASE NOTE!

    Due to the pandemic, the course is held completely online. Consequently, the mandatory parts of the course are as follows:

    Introductory lectures on Monday 11 Jan at 12:15-14 and Friday 15 Jan at 10:15-12

    Guest lectures on Mondays from 18 January to 29 March at 12:15-14

    Group presentations and discussions on Fridays from 22 Jan to 9 April at 10:15-12

    You can utilize the following time slots for the group working sessions and for reading the articles, OR find some other time slots, if it suits for the whole group.

    Preparing the group work / reading the articles on Wednesdays from 13 Jan to 7 April 12:15-14 and Fridays from 15 Jan to 9 April at 8:15-10:00 OR at some other optional time.


    Detailed schedule

    Subject to change

    Lectures at 12:15-14 online, except Fri 15.1. at 10:15-12 online

    Mon 11.1. Johanna Ylipulli: Introduction to the course and practicalities

    Fri 15.1. Johanna Ylipulli: Interdisciplinarity

    Mon 18.1. Nitin Sawhney / Aalto University: Transdisciplinarity

    Mon 25.1. Kai Kimppa / University of Turku: Ethics of information technology

    Mon 1.2. Sampsa Hyysalo / Aalto University: The rise of networked energy user: How Science & Technology studies reveals unusual suspects in sociotechnical change

    Mon 8.2. Jaana Parviainen / University of Tampere: Social Robots and Embodiment

    Mon 15.2. Aale Luusua / University of Oulu: Artificial intelligence in Cities

    Mon 1.3. Anna Haverinen / Havainna: Design Anthropology – applying human insight in digital service design

    Mon 8.3. Maria Ruotsalainen / University of Jyväskylä: Gender and Games

    Mon 15.3. Salla-Maaria Laaksonen / University of Helsinki:  Technology-mediated political organization

    Mon 22.3. Teija Sederholm / National Defence University: Social media and young people from the perspective of national security

    Mon 29.3 Asko Lehmuskallio / University of Tampere: Visual studies

     

    Seminars: group presentations and discussions at 10:15-12 online

    Fri 22.1. Group presentation on Transdisciplinarity

    Fri 29.1. Group presentation on Ethics of information technology

    Fri 5.2. Group presentation on Science and technology studies (STS)

    Fri 12.2. Group presentation on Social Robots and Embodiment

    Fri 19.2. Group presentation on Artificial intelligence in Cities

    Fri 5.3. Group presentation on Design anthropology

    Fri 12.3. Group presentation on Gender and Games

    Fri 19.3. Group presentation on Technology-mediated political organization

    Fri 26.3. Group presentation on Social media and young people from the perspective of national security

    Fri 9.4. Group presentation on Visual studies


    Detailed assessment methods and criteria

    The grading is based on

    • Participation to lectures on Mondays 1/3
    • Participation in seminars on Fridays 1/3
    • Group presentation 1/6
    • Individual writing task 1/6

    Transformed into scale 0-100, this means the following:

    Lecture participation:

    We have in total 12 lectures and we will note whether you are present or not. (Note that the lectures might contain short group discussions or other interaction so just keeping Zoom on and having a nap may not be enough). Taking into account that you might fall ill or have some other good reasons for not being present every time, you can be away two times without consequences. Therefore, the maximum number of points you can get is 10. Thus, one point of lecture participation is 3,333 points out of maximum 100.

    Seminar participation:

    There are in total 10 seminars on Fridays and again, we will mark whether you are present or not. Participation means actively participating in group discussions/group work following each presentation and demonstrating you have read the materials. For a good reason, you can be away once. So, the maximum number of points you can get is 9. This equals 3,7 points out of maximum 100 per one seminar participation.

    Group presentation:

    Each group prepares a presentation for the rest of the group and facilitates the following discussion and/or group work. The presentation is based (mainly) on the provided reading materials. From the presentation you can earn 0-5 points depending on the quality of the work you have done. You get 0 points if you don’t participate in preparing the group work and/or presenting. One point is 3,333 points out of maximum 100.

    Deadline for returning the seminar group presentation: Thursday at 16 for that week's seminar group. This doesn't have to be the final version and you can still edit the presentation, but it should be at least a preliminary version so we can check that everything is advancing accordingly.


    Individual writing task:

    Each student prepares an essay on a topic that will be defined at the beginning of the course. The length of the text is 700-1000 words, and the deadline will be at the end of the course. From the essay you can earn 0-5 points depending on the quality of the work you have done. You get 0 points if you don’t return your essay or if your text reveals that you have not even tried to write something sensible. One point is 3,333 points out of maximum 100.

    Topic and deadline // UPDATED on 10th of March

    The writing task (essay) was changed slightly to reflect your midway feedback. Please write it according to the new instructions. If you have already began to wrote it based on the previous instructions and do not wish to change anything, please contact Johanna.

    **********

    Pick up two themes of the course that you found especially interesting (For example, Ethics of information technology + AI in cities). Explain what aspects, perspectives, or views you found particularly intriguing, and why. How are these two themes connected? How could you apply these perspectives in your future career? If you are not sure what you will do after graduation, you can write based on what you would like to do.

    Further, reflect on what were the most important learning outcomes for you in this course.

    Length of the text: approx. 700-1000 words

    Deadline: Friday 7th of May

    Use course readings on at least two themes as sources/literature and cite them accordingly.


    In order to pass the course, you need to gather points for each of the four areas.

    What comes to grades, our working model is currently as follows:

    0-50 points, failed.

    51-60 points, grade 1.

    61-70 points, grade 2.

    71-80 points, grade 3.

    81-90 points, grade 4.

    91-100 points, grade 5.

    We reserve the right to tweak this model a bit as we see how the course proceeds.