Undergraduate Calendar 2002-2003
Undergraduate Calendar 2002-2003 | |
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| STV 100 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 008896 |
| Society, Technology and Values: Introduction | |
| This course examines the interaction of the technologies developed by a culture with the values and social organization of that culture. The course exposes students to various definitions of society, technology and values, and it presents alternative views about how the three interact. These views are then applied to a number of spheres of influence, including patterns of employment and the role of work; medicine and health; polity and economy; sustainable development and the environment. | |
| STV 201 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 010150 |
| Society, Technology and Values: Special Topics | |
| Study of the interaction of society, technology and values in a particular topic area under tutorial guidance by visiting or adjunct faculty. | |
| Prereq: One of STV 100, 202, 203, or 205 | |
| STV 202 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 008905 |
| Design and Society | |
| The course uses design as a vehicle for examining technology and society interaction, particularly how we design, create, and choose technology. Design and Society has been created to introduce students to various methods to help them view design and technology from a technology-society perspective. The overriding aims of the course are to (a) develop an ability to see through the eyes of others and promote thinking about technology in terms of users as well as producers or creators, (b) develop critical thinking skills, and (c) present design and the choice of technology as an activity involving societal and individual concerns rather than as a purely technical matter. The course does not require advanced technical knowledge and is open to students of all faculties. | |
| STV 203 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 008906 |
| Biotechnology and Society | |
| Biotechnologies are currently migrating from the laboratory to a wide range of consumer products. In everything from foods to pharmaceuticals, genetic engineering is entering daily life. The biotechnology revolution will likely have as much of an impact on our lives as the information technology revolution. However, there is a wide and potentially dangerous gap between research and development on the one hand and societal awareness of its impact on the other. This course is intended to help students gain a deeper appreciation for the issues, including ethics, surrounding biotechnology and society. It will do this through an investigation of such interactions between biotechnologies and society as genetics and the law, foods and the media, and soil remediation and the environment. Consideration will also be given to the role of computing in biotech research and in the human genome project. | |
| Prereq: Level at least 2A | |
| STV 205 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 011619 |
| Cybernetics and Society | |
| Cybernetics is the study of the interfaces between humans and machines. This course will present an overview of cybernetics from automation and robotics to prosthetics and wearable computing. The roles of men and women in a post-human era will be discussed along with related themes dealing with gender, cyberspace, politics and popular culture. | |
| STV 302 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 008908 |
| Information Technology and Society | |
| The course has been designed to provide a framework or set of intellectual tools to help students understand and evaluate technological change. These tools will be applied to the development of information technology, its interaction with society, and possible future scenarios. Selected topics include understanding digitization as culture, visions of the future and the perils of prediction, as well as issues related to application areas such as the home, manufacturing, office work, design and services, education, and law. The course will also consider some of the privacy and personal dignity issues associated with information technology. | |
| Prereq: One of STV 100, 202, 203, or 205 | |
| STV 303 SEM 0.50 | Course ID: 008909 |
| Cross-Cultural Change, Technology and Society | |
| The course will examine the concept of cross-cultural change as more than a consequence of contact between ethnic and national groupings. Technological change and the mutual interaction between technology and culture produce new cross-cultural change and challenges. The purpose of the course is to help students understand and identify the complex interaction between technology and culture and its impact on design and the choice of technology. Students will be expected to use this knowledge as a decision-making tool. | |
| Prereq: One of STV 100, 202, 203, or 205 | |
| STV 400 PRJ 0.50 | Course ID: 008910 |
| Society, Technology and Values: Senior Project | |
| An independent, supervised research project related to the interaction of society, technology and values. Projects may take any format that demonstrates scholarly merit. Formats may include essays, impact studies, designs, computer software, or other media. Students are responsible for proposing suitable projects and are encouraged to seek faculty advice on plausible topics. | |
| Prereq: Level at least 4A Society, Technology and Values Option students only | |
| STV 401 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 010151 |
| Society, Technology & Values: Advanced Topics | |
| Advanced study of the interaction of society, technology and values in a particular topic area under tutorial guidance by visiting or adjunct faculty. | |
| Prereq: One of STV 100, 202, 203, or 205. | |
| Antireq: STV 201 | |
| STV 404 LEC 0.50 | Course ID: 011199 |
| Technology in Canadian Society | |
| The course begins by questioning whether or not there is anything distinctive about Canadian design and its context. Through the use of historical and contemporary cases, this course examines factors influencing design and technology choice in canada and their outcomes. The future of design is also considered in terms of current trends, issues, challenges and opportunities. | |
| Prereq: One of STV 100, 202, 203, or 205 | |
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The Undergraduate Calendar is published by the
Office of the Registrar, University of Waterloo,
Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
Inquiries: infoucal@www.adm.uwaterloo.ca
Revised April 2002