exploration seminar website

[tygerli1y]

This is the program I'm going with. I was going to include the newly created website for the class, but it's password protected, so you can't see it. Neener neener neener. :P

Here is an excerpt of the course overview:

Course Description

In this course, UW students will study social and cultural aspects of information and technology use in Korean society while engaging in workshops with Korean students and faculty from Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Kyung Hee University (KHU). The workshops will cover topics including the following:

• Managing technology change in modern society
• Obstacles to knowledge sharing
• Social Media and virtual worlds
• Connecting across social and cultural boundaries

Essential Questions

This seminar activities and course materials are intended to help student explore the following questions:

1. Information and Technology Use

• Is information used differently in Korea as compared to the U.S.? If so, how? What type of information (e.g. signs in public spaces, online information accessed via cell phone, juxtaposition of symbols or images with text)?
• Is technology used differently in Korean culture as compared to the U.S.? If so, how? What kind of technology?
• Where would you look to observe differences or similarities in information use? Where would you go? How would you make an observation?
• How can you reduce the effect that your own culture and personal experiences may have on distorting what you are observing or hearing?

2. Culture and Technology Applications

• How do unique cultural aspects or social practices (i.e. manner, attitude, values) influence how Koreans apply technology in the home, school, or workplace? Technology applications include devices and equipment (e.g. cell phones) or social media (e.g. Cyworld, online gaming, Facebook).
• How do social values or norms in Korea affect the usability of information technologies? Why?
• What role do you think culture may play for designing and applying information technologies?

3. Design and Technology Adoption

• What is important to consider if you design (or adopt) technologies for people in two different cultures to work together? Examples could include discussion of age or gender, social class, familiarity with technology, influence of popular culture, privacy, or diversity.