The Sociology of the Web

A sociologist's description of the Web as a socially constructed/discovered/encountered piece of technology.

The Web Social

Sociology of the Internet and the Sociology of the Web

ARTD6063 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES 4

The module takes as its starting point the assumption that as future artists, designers and professionals in the creative industries you will be future producers of visual culture. You will be introduced to some of the core theoretical issues that underpin the production of visual culture including questions of what an image is, how it works, its relationship to ideology and theories of representation. Please contact Gordon Hon if you have any questions before selecting the module. G.Hon@soton.ac.uk

COMP6037 Seminar 23 10 13: Science, knowledge and technology

Set readings 1. Sismondo S. (2009). The Kuhnian revolution. In An introduction to science and technology studies. p12-22 2. Ben-David J, Sullivan T. (1975) Sociology of science. Annual Review of Sociology p203-21 3. Clarke A, Star SL. (2008) The social worlds framework: a theory/methods package. In Hackett EJ et al. The handbook of science and technology studies. Cambridge MA: MIT Press p113-137 Bonus paper (read if you have time) 4. Mitroff I. (1974). Norms and Counternorms in a Select Group of Apollo Moon Scientists. American Sociological Review 39:79-95 • Aim to ensure that you understand the core arguments of each paper • Look up/note any new terminology (and questions you want to ask) • Think about your critical appraisal of the paper (what are the merits/demerits of the argument, evidence etc) In the seminar we will spend about 5 minutes talking about each paper, and then - building on the two lectures - discuss how these ideas might be used to think about the Web and Web Science. At the end there will be some time for questions and a chance to note your key learning points.