Communication Science

Communication Science

Module 8: Reflection on the Future of Technology
The RESTS content approaches the theme of the module – the “quantified self” – from the perspectives of science and technology studies, ethics, and the philosophy of technology. The starting point is to question how people live with the digital quantification of themselves. This question leads into the three thematic blocks of the theory study unit: (1) Big data and the self; (2) Corporate entanglement and (3) The greater good. Across these units, the course explores questions of subjectivity, meaning, surveillance, ethics, and justice in relation to digital data. The RESTS content extends from the theory course into the module project in which students collect data and design an algorithm focused on student behaviors. Reflection teaches them to think critically and ethically about the effects of such practices.

RESTS Teacher: Casey Lynch (KiTES)