Stage 1: Topic Selection Video

Stage 1: Topic Selection Video (THIS IS NOT A VIDEO but a narrated Powerpoint)

Please see the Project 1: Technology in the World - Full Description and Video Creation & Sharing Help Web Page before you begin. There are three things you need to do for this stage: Choose your topic. Create a short 3-5 minute video and share it through a cloud server in the discussion forum with your classmates. Post a short 2-3 sentence reply to 2 classmates' proposals in the discussion forum.

Choose a specific technological artifact (or interconnected set of artifacts) or form of technology whose impacts, biases and political properties you can study by observing first-hand how people in the world use it. Your choice should be a primary source, some form of immediate, first-hand technology that you can observe directly. It should be original and unique, not simply a common item like a smartphone.

Potential categories include artifacts in the built environment (e.g., streetlights, sidewalks, elevators), household items and tools (e.g., a specific brand/model vacuum cleaner), transportation/infrastructure (e.g., a particular bus or dam), technology from another culture (e.g., facial recognition in China, high-speed rail in Japan), digital technology (e.g., a specific app or video game), or workplace technology (e.g., a medical tool or management software). Choose something visible in its actual context where you live and observe its use firsthand.

Instructions for Creating your Video (This is a narrated PowerPoint)

Once you have selected your topic, create a 3-5 minute narrated PowerPoint video. You may record with a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Be creative: you might film on-site or include photos of the artifact if on-location filming isn't possible. Your video should describe your artifact, why you're interested in studying it, and why it’s appropriate for a class on technology and culture.

Address these questions in your video: What are you planning to study? Where is the artifact located? Where are its creators based, if digital? Why is this technology personally interesting to you? Why do you believe it’s a suitable subject for analyzing impacts, biases, or political factors? The PowerPoint should have 5 slides (excluding title and references), for a total of 7 slides.

Paper For Above instruction

The aim of this project is to explore a specific technological artifact through a short, narrated PowerPoint presentation, focusing on its social and cultural implications, biases, and political properties. The process involves choosing a primary, observable artifact from the environment, creating a brief video explanation, and engaging with peers by reviewing their proposals. This assignment encourages students to connect technology with cultural and societal impact through direct observation and thoughtful analysis.

Choosing an appropriate artifact requires selecting an object or system that can be observed directly in its natural setting. Examples include urban infrastructure such as streetlights, transportation devices like buses or bikes, household appliances, or cultural technological artifacts such as facial recognition systems or high-speed rail in other countries. The emphasis is on firsthand observation, making the artifact accessible and tangible. Students should consider both its technical features and its broader social implications, as well as any inherent biases or political influences embedded within its design or deployment.

The creation of the narrated PowerPoint allows students to articulate their understanding of the chosen artifact’s significance. The presentation should include an introduction to the artifact—its description, location, and creators—along with personal reflections on why it interests them. It should also analyze how the artifact exemplifies technology's role in societal organization, cultural values, and power relations.

This project fosters critical thinking about the interconnectedness of technology and society. By selecting a real-world, observable artifact and discussing its context, students learn to analyze the embedded social, political, and cultural dynamics. The process also enhances communication skills, as students must condense complex ideas into a concise, engaging presentation accessible for peer review.

References

• Bijker, W. E. (1995). Of bicycles, bakelite, and bulbs: Toward a theory of sociotechnical change. Standards and Public Policy, 39(4), 75-97.
• Feenberg, A. (1999). Questioning technology. Routledge.
• Jasanoff, S. (2004). States of knowledge: The co-production of science and social order. Routledge.
• Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social: An introduction to actor-network theory. Oxford University Press.
• Winner, L. (1986). Do artifacts have politics? Daedalus, 109(1), 121-136.
• Feenberg, A. (2010). Between reason and experience: Essays in technology and modernity. MIT Press.
• Olivier de Sardan, J.-P. (2005). Anthropology and development: Understanding contemporary social change. Zed Books.
• Noble, S. U. (2018). Algorithms of oppression: How search engines reinforce racism. NYU Press.
• Bowker, G. C., & Star, S. L. (1999). Sorting things out: Classification and its consequences. MIT Press.
• Winner, L. (1993). Technologies as forms of life. In Do artefacts have politics?