ES5: Basic Skills of Social Analysis

Three basic skills of social analysis appropriate for computer professionals are: 1 ) identifying and interpreting the social context of a particular implementation, 2) identifying assumptions and values embedded in a particular system, and 3) evaluating, by use of empirical data, a particular implementation of a technology.

Recurring concepts:

complexity, consistency and completeness, trade-off and consequences, evolution

Lecture topics:(3 hours):

• ES5.1 Identifying and interpreting the social context of a particular implementation.
• ES5.2 Identifying assumptions and values embedded in a particular system.
• ES5.3 Evaluating, by use of empirical data, a particular implementation of a technology.

Suggested laboratories (5 hours)

Connections:

Prerequisites: one semester of computer programming