Topics in Sociological Analysis (376-0-20)

Topic

Digital Society and Techno-Utopia

Instructors

Yingzhe Zhu

Meeting Info

TBA: Tues, Thurs 1:00PM - 3:50PM

Overview of class

Can you imagine getting through a single day without interacting with any digital technologies? Is there any job today that does not involve digital devices in some way? Meanwhile, our online activities increasingly shape who we are, how we are governed, and how value is created by major technology companies. From scrolling on TikTok and ordering food online to working, learning, and accessing health care, digital technologies are deeply embedded in everyday life.

Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) mark both an intensification and expansion of this trend. While digital technologies are often portrayed as offering unprecedented access, convenience, efficiency, and even solutions to entrenched social problems, such visions of a techno-utopia invite skepticism. Will they truly realize those promises seamlessly, without inviting new social challenges, inequalities, or interference with freedom? In fact, the creation and application of technologies are always shaped by social relations, historical trajectories, human agency, and ongoing negotiation among diverse stakeholders.

This course examines the development of digital technologies and their far-reaching social consequences. Throughout the course, students will examine key sociological ideas and real-world cases to understand how digital technologies are created, used, and contested. Topics include the rise of digital platforms and AI; changes in work, labor, and the gig economy; new forms of management and workplace surveillance; digital precarity and inequality; power reconfiguration; online expression and data politics; and the promises and challenges of digital health. Rather than viewing technology as neutral or inevitable, the course emphasizes how social structures and institutions impact technological outcomes.

Designed for undergraduates from a wide range of majors who are interested in the study of digital technologies and society, this course combines accessible readings, engaging discussions, and global perspectives. No prior background in sociology or technology studies is required. By the end of the quarter, students will have a clearer understanding of how digital technologies shape society and will be better equipped to think critically about the digital world they interact with every day—not just how it works, but who benefits, who is left out, and why.

Class Attributes

Social and Behavioral Science Foundational Discipl
Social & Behavioral Sciences Distro Area
Face to face: In person, in campus space