WEEK 3
Technology and Modern Culture (graded)
The availability and even dependence upon computer technology is brought to task by Baase in Chapter 8. What are some of the ways that the ease and simplicity of our current technological devices also lead us at times to surrogate our daily responsibilities onto these devices? Please include examples, and be as specific as possible.
Engineering Our Future (graded)
A kind of genetic engineering happens in nature, with naturally occurring mutations and the dominance of certain strains. What is different about todays processes? What makes them potentially dangerous? What should we consider naturaland what is artificial?
WEEK 4
Technology and Art (graded)
We normally think of the arts as very different from technologies in spite of the fact that art (with perhaps a few exceptions) is practiced with the help of technology. This practice creates interdependence between technology and art. To what extent does art respond to, or is shaped by, the technology that enables it? To what extent have advanced and accessible digital technologies, such as websites, digital photography, and YouTube, changed the relationship between art and technology? Are these technologies reshaping our attitudes toward artists?
Digital Technologies (graded)
With the introduction of computer-generated animated films (CGI), there has been much discussion of the impact on the movie industry. For example, illustrators need to have different skill sets. Have story lines and musical scores changed in these films? What impact does the emphasis on special effects have on plot and character development?