ES4: Basic Elements of Social Analysis

Five basic elements of social analysis are: 1) the social context influences the development and use of technology, 2) power relations are central in all social interaction, 3) technology embodies the values of the developers, 4) populations are always diverse, and 5) empirical data are crucial to the design and development processes. Students need to be presented with examples and case studies that illustrate the impact of social issues in system development.

Recurring Concepts:

Lecture topics: (3 hours):

• ES4.1 The social context influences the development and use of technology
• ES4.2 Power relations are central in all social interaction.
• ES4.3 Technology embodies the values of the developers.
• ES4.4 Populations are always diverse.
• ES4.5 Empirical data are crucial to the design and development process.

Suggested laboratories (4 hours)

Connections:

Prerequisites: a semester of computer programming