This course is about how technologies and people have evolved together over time.Although we are surrounded by technologies in our daily lives we rarely consider the tremendous impacts they are having on us, the complex historical circumstances that result in the adoption and use of particular tools, and the complicated relations between technologies and society. The intention is to understand thesocial and historical co-evolution of technologies by examining theories of human behavior and society as well as research evidence in these domains. Ultimately, the goal is to generate a complete and contextualized understanding of technologies and social relations that is both historically rich and currently relevant.
4
UnitsOptional
Grading1, 2, 3
PasstimeNot open to freshmen
Level LimitLetters and science
CollegeBest classes I ever had at UCSB. Knowledgeable prof who has your best interests in mind. Engaging lectures full of relevant information. Covers current theory and research and teaches you how to digest research for yourself. Honestly, he was inspiring.
honestly one of the best professors i've had. as long as you're willing to come to class regularly, tests are quite easy. no homework besides readings, which usually aren't even tested. very engaging lecturer and curves the class quite generously. slides not posted though, so it's tough to miss class.
Lots of interesting content and great lectures...you get your money's worth for sure. You can't just wing the exams, be sure to actually study and pay attention in class. Very helpful if you go to the office hours but be sure to take good notes.
People dislike Flanagin, but I have learned more career-applicable information from his two classes than I have in my entire UCSB experience. All you have to do is attend class, pay attention (which isn't hard because he is super interesting), and study your notes for like a day. Such a good professor, everyone is dramatic over difficulty.
I don't get all the whiners on here. If the scores on tests were poor -- which was rarely the case -- he curves (big time) in our favor to make the grades better. I learned more in this class than all my other Comm classes put together. Funny guy, great lectures, explains things really well. Very helpful if you just approach him and ask.
Never ever take a class with this guy. Seriously the worst professor I have ever had. makes his test incredibly difficult on overly specific topics, over 50% of the class failed one of his midterms because he made it too hard (he said this himself). Class is graded on three tests and attendance is 8.3% of the grade. avoid his class at all costs.