300550 Technology and Society: Social Networks, Power, Inequality, and Social Transformation (MA Sozialstruktur und soziale Ungleichheit) (S) (SoSe 2026)

This course explores how emerging technologies shape—and are shaped by—social, economic, political, and ethical forces. Participants will critically examine the ways in which technological innovations influence human behavior, institutions, and values across different domains, from work and education to health or/and governance. The course begins with foundational readings on the relationship between technology and society, covering both classic and contemporary perspectives. Participants will then form small groups to design project ideas investigating one self-selected technology by outlining a research question and ways to answer it theoretically and methodologically. Emerging technology could be, for example, artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology and genetic engineering, quantum computing, robotics and automation, blockchain and digital currencies, extended reality (XR), brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), autonomous systems, synthetic media and deepfakes, nanotechnology, or climate and energy technologies—to explore its individual and societal implications. In the group projects, you may assess selected or multiple positive and negative impacts of the chosen technology across multiple dimensions such as social (e.g., inequality, and digital inclusion), economic (e.g., labor displacement), political (e.g., surveillance or misinformation), ethical (e.g., human autonomy), or environmental (e.g., energy consumption). Participants will present their proposals and receive feedback, while also feedbacking other proposals. The goal is to foster sociological but also interdisciplinary thinking and equip participants with analytical tools to evaluate emerging technologies critically and creatively.
This course explores how emerging technologies shape—and are shaped by—social, economic, political, and ethical forces. Participants will critically examine how technological innovations influence human behavior, institutions, and values across domains such as work, education, health, and governance. The course begins with foundational readings on the relationship between technology and society, covering both classic and contemporary perspectives.
Participants will then work in small groups to develop project proposals investigating a self-selected emerging technology, formulating a clear research question and outlining theoretical and methodological approaches to address it. Examples of such technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), biotechnology and genetic engineering, quantum computing, robotics and autonomous systems, blockchain and digital currencies, extended reality (XR), brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), deepfakes, nanotechnology, and climate or energy technologies.
In their group projects, participants will design strategies to assess the positive and negative individual and societal implications of the chosen technology across multiple dimensions—social (e.g., community building, inequality), economic (e.g., innovation, labor displacement), political (e.g., civic engagement, surveillance), ethical (e.g., improved accessibility, threats to human autonomy), or/and environmental (e.g., sustainable energy solutions, energy consumption).
Participants will present their proposals and receive peer and instructor feedback, while also providing constructive feedback on other teams’ projects.
The goal is to foster critical and interdisciplinary thinking and to equip participants with conceptual and analytical tools to evaluate emerging technologies creatively and responsibly.