Dissertations / Theses: 'Society and technology'

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Ojo, Olajide Joshua, Станіслава Станіславівна Зайцева, Станислава Станиславовна Зайцева, and Stanislava Stanislavivna Zaitseva. "Information And Communication Technology In The Society." Thesis, Sumy State University, 2021. https://essuir.sumdu.edu.ua/handle/123456789/84794.

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The relevance and aim of this research is to point out importance of ICT in the society, problems and solutions of ICT, and recommendations. ICT play a significant role in all aspects of modern society.

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Leivesley, Robert, and n/a. "Images of technology in organisation and society contexts." University of Canberra. Management, 1990. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20060817.100531.

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An original project for a taxonomy of organisation-technology became over time an exploration of some of the meanings and contexts of technology. The exploration began with the critique of selected instances of landmark theorising and empirical research on the technology concept. The critique raised issues in epistemology and methodology which caused this writer to address the philosophy of the social sciences and the philosophy of technology at certain points: the question of technological determinism; language and metaphor; ideology; construct validity. Chapters One and Two of this thesis reflect the quest for connections in meta-theory, as the remaining chapters reflect the quest for meanings and contexts of technology in organisation and society. The case studies of landmark theory and research on technology led into more of a generic enquiry into the nature and claims of a contingency theory of organisation and management. An analysis of landmark cases and of contingency theory suggested that a formalist or empiricist approach to technology and organisation had produced no clear conceptualisation of technology, nor of any other contextual or performance factors. No panacea for organisation-design has emerged from this quarter. A rather broader arena of the division and re-combination of labour was then approached. Analysis suggested that technology and the division of labour are not mere surrogates of managerial control but arenas continually contested by organisation and society participants. They are not givens with resident characteristics to be read out but occasions of choice ongoingly negotiated. Whereas the thesis began with notions of a static and cognitivist taxonomy it developed into a study of certain images of technology, with the valencies of technology deriving from its various contexts of meanings and matrices of values. The thesis concludes with the view that formalism of much contemporary organisation-theory needs to be amplified by a broadly phenomenological understanding.

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Jones, Keith Andrew. "Sonic culture : geographies of sound, technology and society." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.423636.

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Comshaw-Arnold, Benjamin W. "Feudalism in Decline: The Influence of Technology on Society." Kent State University Honors College / OhioLINK, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ksuhonors1399675397.

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5

Shi, Yvonne Yuk-hang. "Science-technology-society education for primary pupils of Hong Kong." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.267061.

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McKie, Jane Irina. "Changing society : technology and lifelong learning in the public eye." Thesis, University of Warwick, 1998. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.322693.

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7

Cagle, Caroline Woodell. "Technology in Society: The Pipe Organ in Early Modern England." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2002. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-04172003-005110.

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Reza, Faisal 1980. "Human cloning : science, ethics, policy, society." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/29582.

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Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, 2003.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 73-74).
The interplay of science, ethics, policy and society contribute to our understanding of and relation with human cloning. Genetic science and technology at the end of the twentieth century has permitted successful cloning of mammals and other animals. Such advancement has raised key ethical issues regarding the prospect of cloning human beings. Evaluation of these issues has led to policies aimed at regulating this novel technology. In tum, these policies strive to prepare our society for the scientific possibilities and ethical implications of human cloning.
by Faisal Reza.
B.S.

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9

Beland, Christopher D. (Christopher David) 1978. "Digital technology and copyright law." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/16818.

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Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology, and Society, 2002.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-108).
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Intellectual Property is an ideology of the late Twentieth Century which reserves property-like rights in information, so that creators may extract its economic value. Current American copyright law draws mainly from this concept; it has been constructed through history by negotiation between various established economic interests. Information Freedom is a competing ideology which has been successful in the software community. It emphasizes the dangers of over-propertization and the benefits of freely accessible resources, especially non-depletable information resources. Compromise must be reached in a practical (non-ideological) fashion in order to achieve the social goals of: production of creative content (encouraged by fair but not excessive compensation for creators); promotion of scientific, political, technical, artistic, cultural, and economic progress by removing obstacles to accessing content and taking advantage of innovations which change the status quo; protection of creative freedom; and ensuring quality and diversity in the content which is created. Civil disobedience as a means to achieve these goals may be counterproductive if it results in tighter technological restrictions on content availability or stricter legal mechanisms; legal reforms proposed by Lawrence Lessig and Jessica Litman are unlikely to be enacted. Internet-based technologies have strong potential to increase exposure to diversity, decrease costs, and improve the subjective experience for music consumers. Cheaper film-making equipment may have similar positive effects for motion pictures to a lesser degree. Internet bandwidth and other practical limitations suggest that immediate changes in video distribution and consumption patterns are more likely to be driven by the availability of Digital Video Recorders, or perhaps competing Video On Demand services. Different economic models which fund content creation may be appropriate for different applications, and may in some cases further social goals better than strong propertization. Alternative models include voluntary contributions (either from creators or consumers); indirect benefit by establishing reputation, selling related services, cross-promotion, or selling advertising; and public funding. The history of telecommunication, including the telegraph, radio, television, and the Internet, provides evidence that important uses for new technology may not be initially obvious, that the maturation of digital information technology and related economic models is just beginning.
by Christopher D. Beland.
S.B.

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Jasper, William Gordon. "Detecting biology teachers' images of teaching about science, technology, and society /." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0002/MQ34964.pdf.

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Harsh, Matthew. "Living technology and development : agricultural biotechnology and civil society in Kenya." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/2745.

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This thesis examines relationships between science and technology and development, as de ned and manifested by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Kenya whose work involves agricultural biotechnologies. Non-governmental engagements with agricultural biotechnology in Kenya span technology production, promotion and resistance. The argument of this thesis is that through these engagements, and the ways that relationships between technology and development are manifested in these engagements, technological and political orders are merging in civil society. When technologies enter the spaces of civil society, spaces carved out by development practices, the agency of NGOs is contingent and contested. But at some scales, in some places, NGOs are performing functions usually reserved for states, markets and communities. Through push and pull between NGOs, biotechnologies are becoming ordered in Kenya: technologies are approved for research, capacity for research and biosafety is built, scienti c knowledge is generated and transferred, plant material is distributed to farmers. At the same time, social and political orders are formed in civil society that are intertwined with this technological ordering: organisations set up competing structures of representation for farmers; they build social networks for technology delivery and technology resistance; they set and protest the terms of collective decision-making by acting as de facto regulators. Patterns of legitimacy and authority are set and the ability to steer biotechnologies is at issue. Attempts to more democratically guide technologies, when seen as a case of public action more generally, have implications for the ability of Kenyans, as farmers and citizens, to shape the decisions that a ect their lives. By examining biotechnology through civil society, the thesis makes three contributions to knowledge. It proposes that the current development practices supporting NGOs engagements with technologies are creating an increased prominence, or rise, of technological NGOs in development. It provides empirical evidence of this rise in the form of an ethnographic exploration of NGOs in Kenya. Finally, it provides a way to examine the agency of NGOs by building on the new ethnography of NGOs and the co-production of knowledge and social order.

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Lau, Jasmin. "Building a national technology and innovation infrastructure for an aging society." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/38566.

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Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, Technology and Policy Program, 2006.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 181-192).
This thesis focuses on the potential of strategic technology innovation and implementation in sustaining an aging society, and examines the need for a comprehensive national technology and innovation infrastructure in the U.S., capable of supporting the development and use of technologies by the aging population and their caregivers. The pervasiveness of population aging makes it a primary concern for nations around the world today. As the inadequacies of existing resources become apparent, policy makers .are now turning to technology and innovation to cope with the changing demographics. 'Technological innovations to accommodate the elderly have existed since centuries ago, and they been useful in extending the human capability beyond perceived limitations of aging. However, new technologies developed with the same objectives are not widely adopted and accepted by the aging population today. The thesis is divided into two complementary sections.
(cont.) The first examines three hypotheses for the slow penetration rates of new technologies for aging: 1) Useful, affordable and usable technologies are unavailable, 2) Professional carers that can play a catalytic role between technological innovation and implementation are not technologically educated and prepared to incorporate the technologies into elderly care, and 3) The dynamics of policy formation and agenda setting are not conducive to the design and implementation of "technology for aging" policies. The second section consists of two comparative studies to highlight the gaps within the existing "technologies for aging" industry infrastructure. A study of the domestic automobile and mobile telecommunications industry provides a national perspective, whereas a study of eleven industrialized nations engaged in technological innovations for the elderly provides an international perspective. The research shows that useful, affordable and usable technologies are available, but their diffusion is hindered by inadequate human capital development and an unconducive policy formation and agenda setting climate.
(cont.) The comparative studies further illuminate existing infrastructure gaps and also provide useful frameworks to facilitate the bridging of these gaps. By facilitating the development of a robust "technology for aging" infrastructure, policy makers can help to ensure that the U.S. is ready to meet the challenges of an aging population.
by Jasmin Lau.
S.M.

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13

Penrod, Joshua Morgan. "Innovating the Mind: Three Essays on Technology, Society, and Consumer Neuroscience." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/83364.

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This dissertation examines the emerging practice of consumer neuroscience and neuromarketing, combined called CNNM. CNNM utilizes tools and technologies to measure brain activity and human behavior coupled with scientific theories for explaining behavior and cognition. Consumer neuroscience is one of the newest areas of application of neuroscience and related techniques, and is of significant social consequence for its possible deployment in the market place to both study and shape consumer behavior. Concerns arise in terms of consumer influence and manipulation, but there are also concerns regarding the actual efficacy and utility of the technologies and the application of behavioral theories. The dissertation's three essays each examine a facet of CNNM. Using historical sources, conference participation, and ethical analyses, the dissertation forms a multi-prong effort at a better understanding of CNNM through the use of science and technology studies (STS) methods. The first essay is an historical review of the usage of technologies to measure brain activity and behavior, parallel to the development of psychological theories created to account for human decisionmaking. This essay presents a new conception of "closure" and "momentum" as envisioned by social construction of technology and technological momentum theories, arriving at a new concept for inclusion called "convergence" which offers a multi-factor explanation for the acceptance and technical implementation of unsettled science. The second essay analyzes four discourses discovered during the review of approximately seventy presentations and interviews given by experts in the field of CNNM. Using and adapting actor-network theory, the essay seeks to describe the creation of expertise and group formation in the field of CNNM researchers. The third essay draws on a variety of ethical analyses to expand understanding of the ethical concerns regarding CNNM. It raises questions that go beyond the actual efficacy of CNNM by applying some of the theories of Michel Foucault relating to the accumulation of power via expertise. This essay also points in the direction for actionable steps at ameliorating some of the ethical concerns involving CNNM. CNNM is a useful technique for understanding consumer behavior and, by extension, human behavior and neuroscience more generally. At the same time, it has been routinely misunderstood and occasionally vilified (for concerns about both efficacy and non-efficacy). This dissertation develops some of the specific historical movements that created the field, surveys and analyzes some of the foremost experts and how they maneuvered in their social network to achieve that status, and identifies novel ethical issues and some solutions to those ethical issues.
Ph. D.

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14

Stewart, James. "Encounters with the Information Society." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1842/8981.

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This research introduces a novel methodology to study the appropriation of new Information and Communication technologies (ICTs) or "Multimedia" in a natural setting. This includes computers, mobile phones and television, and any application and service based on these. Building on theoretical and empirical research in technology studies, diffusion of innovations and consumer research, the study investigates the processes of adoption, consumption and domestication across the life-space of individuals and natural groups. The BEAN approach is developed to investigate data from qualitative fieldwork that engaged with respondents in four natural social networks. This shows how a range of new ICTs are entering into the everyday world of these respondents, and how they engage with them: the way these technologies are appropriated, including adoption, learning and struggling, but also strategies of resistance, non-adoption, and arms-length appropriation. It shows the importance of the informal economy in providing access to technology, skills, knowledge and resources to deal with the complexities and difficulties of adopting and using ICTs. In particular, it finds the local expert is crucial to the adoption and use of many of these technologies, providing support that the commercial world fails or is unable to provide.

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Gebregziabher, Sosina Abraha. "The “bi-directional” influence between technology and society: how M-PESA is shaping and being shaped by society in Kenya." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/30103.

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M-PESA (a mobile banking service in Kenya) was introduced to offer a person-to-person money transfer service. Its extensive adoption and appropriation for purposes other than person-to-person transfers has influenced the technology providers (Safaricom) to widen their services beyond their original intentions. M-PESA provides a wide range of financial services including services for people who were previously unbanked. Users of M-PESA can now pay different utilities, those without credit cards can purchase products online, others can repay loans to microfinance institutions, pay insurance premiums, withdraw money from ATMs, use it as Point of Sale Payment and open savings accounts. This research examines the existence of “bi-directional” influences between technology and society by taking M-PESA business users as a case. It specifically investigates how M-PESA as a technology has influenced the business environment in Kenya and how the design of M-PESA has in turn been influenced by its adoption. The research adopts the Adaptive Structuration Theory as the theoretical framework and interpretive case study research as a methodological approach. Interviews with different stakeholders in the industry were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using Diachronic Analysis. The results of the research show that there is a “bi-directional” influence between technology and people as they affect each other over time. Mobile technologies shape the way businesses operate, allowing them to provide new services and improve existing ones. At the same time, usage and adoption trends affect the design of mobile technologies. Over time, technology is adapted to accommodate the new needs of businesses and other needs in the wider community. This research shows that the impact of technology depends not only on its functionality but also on its use and appropriation in society.
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
Informatics
unrestricted

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Fortier, François. "Civil society computer networks the perilous road of cyber-politics /." Toronto : York University, Distributed Knowledge Project, 1997. http://www.yorku.ca/research/dkproj/fortier/.

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van, Meurs Philip. "Technology, society and democracy : the social impact of, and democratic control over, technology, with special reference to information technology and data protection." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 1990. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3051/.

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Certain developments and applications of science and technology are often seen as a problem for society. The first chapter of this work concentrate on what technology actually is, its relation with science and the problems it creates for society. Two questions are asked: 1. Is democratic control of technological research and development necessary and possible. 2. Is democratic control of the applications of this research and development necessary and possible. A broad definition of technology brings out the relation of science and technology. The key concept is: control over nature, non-human as well as human. The theories of Marx and Engels show that technology and science are an integral part of society and cannot be seen as separated from it. This obvious point is taken by the Frankfurt school which discusses the ideological aspects of technology and science. This culminates in the notion of technology as ideology itself (Habermas). These ideas can be used in relation to information technology and its dangers and uses for the protection of privacy. The issue of information technology in relation to privacy and personal freedom is used (i) to demonstrate the possibilities of democratic control and (ii) because the problem of privacy and data protection is generally recognised in many countries. Because of the defects found in a number of legislative implementations of data protection a proposal is made for a more complete and effective control of information technology in relation to data protection. This proposal rests on two related concepts: 1. Democratic control through citizens committees (as a kind of jury duty), 2. The extension of the division of power to a fourth data controlling power, controlled not only by a legislative power but a separate citizen's committee.

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Emiroglu, Sinem. "Information Society: National Science And Technology Policies In Turkey And South Korea." Master's thesis, METU, 2012. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12614980/index.pdf.

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This thesis emphasizes the role of being an information society in countries&rsquo
development perspective
furthermore aims to study the economic, social and structural dimensions of information society related policies with the case studies of Turkey and South Korea. Although in 1950s Turkey and South Korea had similar characteristics in terms of basic economic and social indicators, Turkey has lagged behind in South Korea in terms of development perspective and information society parameters. In addition, information society levels of Turkey and South Korea are measured and compared by ICT development index. Information society policies of South Korea and Turkey are analyzed in the scope of national science and technology policies separately. In theoretical perspective, transforming to information society is analyzed on the basis of &ldquo
Deployment policies in the field of ICT&rdquo
and &ldquo
Two models of network policy formation&rdquo
. The findings of the study indicate that, although hegemonic ruler organizations determine science and technology and transforming to information society related policies, government should not apply these policies without considering their internal dynamics. These policies should be re-evaluated and modified in the scope of national advantages and priorities. In addition, this study aims to indicate the importance of the role of science and technology policies on being an information society for 21st century.

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Kehlenbach, Emil Stefan. "The Boss's Dilemma: Mark Twain and the Relation of Technology and Society." Thesis, Boston College, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2597.

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Thesis advisor: Susan M. Shell
Mark Twain's understanding of the relationship between technology and society is complicated, and delivered through many of his individual works, including A Connecticut Yankee and The American Claimant. Through a close reading of Connecticut Yankee with additional support from The American Claimant I am to develop a fuller understanding of this relationship and how Twain's thought reflects on modern society
Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2012
Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: Political Science

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Chand, Badr-Un-Nisa. "A socio-material approach to understanding the organization, technology, and society nexus." Thesis, Cardiff University, 2018. http://orca.cf.ac.uk/112238/.

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This thesis suggests that approaches studying the organisation, society and technology nexus have either focused extensively on environment (e.g. Marxist perspectives of organisation and society), or studied organisation and technologies within organisational boundaries (e.g. Gidden’s Structuration or Orlikowski’s Sociomateriality). Secondly, in doing so these approaches have chosen ‘deterministic’ stand points that emphasise a single factor, i.e. economy, technology or human agency as being solely responsible for shaping change in the social world. This thesis proposes that Mutch’s socio-material framework (2013), based on CR, provides a comprehensive toolkit for understanding organisations and technologies in relation to society in three ways: through its separation of social and material, by recognising the importance of technology in this interrelationship, and its call for inclusion of context in such discussions. This thesis suggests that although the Mutch’s socio-material framework identifies the importance of context, it does not capitalise on it completely. In response to this void, this thesis contributes to the existing body of literature in three main ways. Firstly, it proposes and illustrates the utility of economic context and its impact on organisational practices. Secondly, it develops and applies the concept of societal context (through the application of social structures of a class system) to elaborate how organisations and their choice of technologies are embedded in a societal context that has considerable impact on different groups of society and vice versa. Thirdly, this work utilises the concept of affordances to help identify the generative mechanisms that can better explain concurrent events that take place when organisational actors, technology and non-organisational actors interact.

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Budin, Howard Roger. "Engines of democracy : technology, society and American common schools before the Civil War /." Access Digital Full Text version, 1996. http://pocketknowledge.tc.columbia.edu/home.php/bybib/11974461.

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Thesis (Ed.D.)--Teachers College, Columbia University, 1996.
Typescript; issued also on microfilm. Sponsor: Robert McClintock. Dissertation Committee: Robert Taylor. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 171-179).

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Horlik, Veronika. "The river : the relevance of craft disciplines in our information technology-driven society." Thesis, McGill University, 2005. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=98932.

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This thesis addresses the relevance of craft disciplines in our present-day world, one that is driven largely by information technology. It is an examination of the contemporary value, benefits and importance of making objects 'by hand' from the perspective of both the craftsperson and the people who take pleasure in craft objects. In the thesis, craft is interlinked with an issue of time, more precisely, with the need for slowing down in order to live and work at a variety of speeds or rhythms. The impact of this on our understanding of learning, in the formal education system and beyond, is central.
The thesis draws on a variety of sources from contemporary education and economic theories to craft philosophies of the past and issues relating to the current international Slow movements which urge us to enjoy the sensual, visual and tactile pleasures of life.

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Oakes, Simon C. C. "Wild but wired? : the co-construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde." Thesis, Middlesex University, 2000. http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/6637/.

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This study critically examines the co-construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde during the late 1990s. A range of uses of information and communications technology (ICT) - spanning employment, community development and education – is accounted for, in a variety of highly localised settings on the islands of Arran, Islay and Jura and the Kintyre peninsula. Explanation is offered as to why certain outcomes have been arrived at. The reflexive relationship between technology and society is then highlighted, as it is shown that the challenge of introducing ICT to the region has affected change in local governance structures, catalysing new partnerships while challenging existing power relations. Building upon recent work in rural studies relating to the post-productivist countryside, theories derived from the sociology of science (specifically Social Construction of Technology and Actor Network Theory approaches) are employed in an attempt to heighten understanding of local sensitivity to 'globalising' technologies. A qualitative methodology is employed, consisting of depth interviews conducted with leading local actors throughout 1997 and 1998. The narratives give insight into these actors' beliefs and motivation as they have attempted to guide the innovation, diffusion and application of ICT in the region. Critical insight is sought as to how their frequently conflicting understanding of rural needs acts as a constraint upon the contingency of technical development locally, prompting certain courses of action to be favoured above others. The study draws more generally upon the experiences of rural Strathclyde to build a model of local sensitivity to technical change in the countryside. It is argued that the power to act rests in many hands and that those local actors who possess the necessary skills and resources to act as 'conduits' - linking local and 'global' circuits of production and consumption - do not always behave in ways that optimise local outcomes. Only under certain conditions can the effective deployment of ICT enable 'powerful' localities to act competitively 'at a distance' in seeking new trade and investment. It is argued that failure to appreciate the diversity of possible local responses to the provision of ICT has sometimes left policy-makers with exaggerated expectations for technically driven rural restructuring.

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Fung, Yat-chu, and 馮一柱. "Information technology and empowerment in information society: use of computers amongst senior persons." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2003. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B31245298.

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Ross, Charlotte. "Representations of science, literature, technology and society in the works of Primo Levi." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2004. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/1220/.

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The thesis tackles two main issues. Part I explores Levi's engagements with the `two cultures' debate concerning the relationship between literature and `science' in postwar culture. Building on existing scholarship, I provide a more comprehensive view of his project to combat the two cultures divide. I contextualize the literature-science debate in Anglophone and Italophone culture, and then investigate dialogues between Levi and his contemporaries (for example, the writer Italo Calvino; the physicist Tullio Regge). Among other theoretical frameworks, I draw on critical approaches to the literature-science relationship and Bahktinian dialogics. Part II analyzes Levi's portrayals and critiques of science and technology as they impact on human life and freedoms, especially his problematizations of relationships between humans and machines in a post-industrial society. This aspect of Levi's work, particularly his representations of bodies and embodiment in a technologized age, has received little critical attention to date. I evaluate Levi's engagements with such issues, focussing also on gender dynamics in his writing about technologically-mediated embodiment. Given the absence of sustained Italophone critical reflection on these questions, I analyze Levi's work in light of recent Anglopone theorizing on posthumanism. I also refer to psychoanalytic approaches to the self. Considering Levi's approach to a series of perceived cultural dialectics-the relationships between science and literature, science and society, human subjects and machines-I argue that his work is characterized by contradiction. He asserts the need to break down cultural and disciplinary boundaries while simultaneously revealing his personal tendency to conceptualize literary and scientific activities, for example, as distinct practices. I conclude that by embracing such contradictions his work highlights areas of difficulty, and, without attempting to offer falsely universal solutions, reminds us of our capacity to maintain-or reclaim-corporeal and epistemological sovereignty of ourselves and our society.

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Liddell, Kathleen. "Biolaw and deliberative democracy : regulating human genetic technology in a morally pluralist society." Thesis, Oxford : Univ. of Oxford, Division of Social Sciences; Faculty of law, 2003. http://swbplus.bsz-bw.de/bsz118775707inh.htm.

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Ashton, Hazel. "Local Place and its Co-Construction in the Global Network Society." Thesis, University of Canterbury. Sociology and Anthropology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10092/1502.

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This thesis explores how locally-constructed agency, based on what we really care about, can be developed within and thence beyond localities. At issue is the need for new forms of connectedness and belonging in the globally-based network society. Globally-based communications and media technologies create new networks and mobilities that stretch and fragment existing socio-economic, administrative and ecological systems and with this, older, local and national forms of sociality. Such social upheavals are apt to drive people into defensive and divisive "us" against "them" forms of belonging. Local communities are then called on almost daily to fix these problems, but scarcely exist as connected effective agents on their own account. The thesis examines how official institutions (policy and academic) can help undo one-way global-local flows, by supporting new forms of local-local and local-through-to-global agency. A transdisciplinary methodology, developed in this thesis, performatively demonstrates productive, new local-academic-policy connections. Research included a fully participatory process that blends theoretical concepts (social, aesthetic, literary and film), with film and interactive technologies. A microcosm or simulation of locality was created through DVD film and an interactive research website. Through the shared use of screen interfaces, over one hundred co-detectives or co-researchers from hugely diverse backgrounds collaborated to search for, help reveal, and test out ways that local inhabitants could more effectively connect and co-create a filmed narrative of the kind of place that all would like to inhabit. A "network locality" development narrative is here piloted as a counterpoint to the global network society. Based on inclusive co-construction of locally grounded technology - and aesthetic-based communities - new possibilities of belonging around engagement in locally grounded civic-cosmopolitan projects are demonstrated.

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Kaul, Madhulika. "Essays on Digital Platforms as Private Regulators." Electronic Thesis or Diss., Jouy-en Josas, HEC, 2024. http://www.theses.fr/2024EHEC0002.

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Ma thèse examine le rôle des plateformes numériques en tant que régulateurs privés. Cette thèse évalue comment et pourquoi les plateformes choisissent les règles à créer et à appliquer, ainsi que l'impact de ces choix sur les plateformes et leurs parties prenantes telles que les individus, les entreprises, la société civile et les régulateurs. Le premier essai développe un cadre théorique qui explore les différents aspects de l’élaboration de règles par les plateformes en se concentrant sur l’interdépendance des organisations de mouvements sociaux vis-à-vis des plateformes de partage de contenu numérique. Le deuxième essai étudie comment la mise en oeuvre par une plateforme d’une réglementation publique impacte la conformité et l’adaptation de ses compléments en employant une conception de différence spatiale dans le marché de l’hébergement touristique de courte durée à Paris. Le troisième essai explore l’impact du choix de gouvernance d’une plateforme sur la professionnalisation des complémenteurs dans le même contexte empirique. Au total, ma thèse apporte trois contributions à la recherche sur les plateformes. Premièrement, j’étends la littérature sur les plateformes en adoptant une vision intégrée des stratégies marchandes et non marchandes des plateformes. Deuxièmement, en évaluant le rôle des plateformes numériques en tant que régulateurs privés, je contribue à la littérature plus large sur la façon dont ces entreprises façonnent l’environnement non marchand de leurs parties prenantes en tant qu’individus, entreprises, organisations de mouvements sociaux et régulateurs. Troisièmement, je fournis des preuves de la manière dont les complémenteurs peuvent s’adapter stratégiquement et ainsi limiter l’influence de la régulation privée des plateformes
My thesis examines the role of digital platforms as private regulators. This thesis evaluates how and why platforms choose which rules to create and enforce and the impact of these choices on platforms and their stakeholders such as individuals, firms, civil society, and regulators. The first essay develops a theoretical framework that explores the different aspects of platforms’ rule-making focusing on the interdependence of social movement organizations on digital contentsharing platforms. The second essay investigates how a platform’s implementation of a public regulation impacts its complementors’ compliance and adaptation by employing a spatial difference-in-difference design in the Paris short-term tourism rental accommodation market. The third essay explores how a platform’s governance choice impacts the professionalization of complementors in the same empirical context. Overall, my thesis makes three contributions to research on platforms. First, I extend the literature on platforms by taking an integrated view of platforms’ market and non-market strategies. Second, by evaluating the role of digital platforms as private regulators, I contribute to the broader literature on how these firms shape the non-market environment of their stakeholders as individuals, firms, social movement organizations, and regulators. Third, I provide evidence for how complementors may strategically adapt and thus limit the influence of platforms’ private regulation

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Rogers, Juan D. "Implementation of a national information infrastructure : science and the building of society /." Diss., This resource online, 1996. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-09062007-142652/.

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Su, Ching. "The printing presses of the London Missionary Society among the Chinese." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 1996. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/1317522/.

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China became subject to various Western influences in the nineteenth century. Conspicuous in the realm of technology was the transformation of printing from xylography to Western typography. The new method was introduced by Protestant missionaries and mainly by those of the London Missionary Society (LMS). The motive behind this transformation was their hope to print the Bible and by an adequate method, but later the impact of this technological change extended widely beyond religion, resulting in the burgeoning and rapid development of modern Chinese publishing enterprises, including newspapers, periodicals and books. Based mainly upon the LMS archives and the Chinese works printed by LMS missionaries, this study is a history of the LMS's printing presses, beginning with their establishment in the very early nineteenth century until their closure in 1873. The two principal themes in this study are: first, the missionaries' application of Western technology to Chinese printing; and secondly, the role and response of the Chinese to this transformation. Whilst trying to demonstrate the interaction between missionaries and natives in the process of change, an attempt is also made, in the context of contemporary China, to interpret how Western printing technology gradually gained influence in native minds. The printing press did not achieve as much as expected in helping to spread Christianity in China. However, the LMS missionaries were able to produce the first fount of Chinese type and raised Chinese awareness of its greater efficiency, compared with their thousand-year-old blocks, as an agent for the introduction of modern knowledge and as a means to transform their old society.

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Sreekumar, Thundiyil Thrivikraman Pillai. "State, civil society and development e-topia : information and communication technologies and the making of a rural network society in India /." View abstract or full-text, 2004. http://library.ust.hk/cgi/db/thesis.pl?SOSC%202004%20SREEKU.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 202-215). Also available in electronic version. Access restricted to campus users.

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Potgieter, Jacobus Petrus. "The impact of wireless and mobile technology on the South African society / J.P. Potgieter." Thesis, North-West University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/10394/1593.

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Wong, Ngan Ling. "The Influence of Communications Technology upon the Style of Communication in Contemporary Japanese Society." 名古屋大学国際言語文化研究科国際多元文化専攻, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2237/8282.

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Harper, Art. "Case Study of the Impact on Businesses and Society by Mobile Contactless Card Technology." Thesis, Northcentral University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3646822.

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Consumers in the United States have three payment options at a point of sale terminal purchase with a merchant: (a) pay with cash, (b) write a check, or (c) swipe and sign for the transaction with a debit or credit card. Consumers may be reluctance to accept changes in their daily routine with respect to payment options, which may impede acceptance of evolving payment methods like mobile and contactless cards (MCC). Hence, the purpose of this qualitative case study using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was to examine the reasons given by consumers on why they are willing or unwilling to accept this alternative payment system. The selected participants were obtained via a signup sheet at PSCU for of this case study. After signing the informed consent form, the particpants were provided a link to Survey Monkey™. The participants of the case study represented a broad level based off education, age, marriage and work levels. The partcipants provided their responses to questions that gaugued their knowledge and willingness to try new payment technologies such as mobile and contactless card payments. The responses provided by the participants demonstrated that ease of use (PEO) and usefulness (PEOU) were primary factors in using new payment technologies. Security of the financial data was a factor in the use of new new payment technology as cosnumers have become more conscious of data breaches. Future case studies should be conducted to determine the impact on segements such as the underbanked or underserved markets.

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Lee, Chaiwoo. "User-centered system design in an aging society : an integrated study on technology adoption." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/89872.

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Thesis: Ph. D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Engineering Systems Division, 2014.
This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 229-240).
The aging of the population is an important global phenomenon that is bringing changes and challenges to various areas of society. Technology has been explored as one way to cope with the complexities and uncertainties that are emerging with this demographic change. However, the responses from the potential user segment have been far from enthusiastic, suggesting that older adults' adoption of technology is not simply a matter of performance and price, but a complex issue that is affected by multiple factors. This dissertation explores the topic of older adults' technology adoption and use with an integrated framework that includes the perceptions, behaviors, and decisions of both the users and the producers. First, an exhaustive set of individual, technical, and social factors are identified and defined from a literature review and from user interviews with descriptions on these factors' importance and roles in the adoption and use process. Second, the results from a large-scale national survey are presented with a discussion of the empirical validity of the factors, as well as their relative importance and associations at three main decision stages of adoption and use -- purchase, initial use, and continued use. Finally, this dissertation presents a set of three cases developed from multiple sources of evidence on existing technology-enabled solutions for aging-in-place. The integrated framework described in this dissertation suggests the importance of considering population aging as a complex issue, as well as a new opportunity, that requires user-centered thinking from various players and stakeholders. Drawing on multiple methods of quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, the results underscore the importance and roles of different adoption factors during the design, development, and delivery of technology, as well as in older adults' decisions around adoption and use. This dissertation finds that the various requirements, expectations, and values of older adults are closely related and collectively affect their decisions and behaviors around technology. Finally, a set of implications for research and practice are presented around the need for the continuous involvement of older adults throughout design, development, and delivery of technologies for a changing population.
by Chaiwoo Lee.
Ph. D.

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Fadhli, Fathi Ali. "The inclusion of science technology society topics in junior high school Earth science textbooks /." free to MU campus, to others for purchase, 2000. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/mo/fullcit?p9999279.

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Downes, Kieran. "From enthusiasm to practice : users, systems, and technology in high-end audio." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/50110.

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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2009.
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Includes bibliographical references (p. 401-413).
This is a story about technology, users, and music. It is about an approach to the design, manipulation, and arrangement of technologies in small-scale systems to achieve particular aesthetic goals - goals that are at once subjective and contingent. These goals emerge from enthusiasm for technology, for system-building, and for music among members of a community of users, and the promise of the emotional rewards derived from these elements in combination. It is a story about how enthusiasm and passion become practice, and how particular technologies, system-building activities, listening, debating, innovating, and interacting form that practice. Using both historical and ethnographic research methods, including fieldwork and oral history interviews, this dissertation is focused on how and why user communities mobilize around particular technologies and socio-technical systems. In particular, it concerns how users' aesthetic sensibilities and enthusiasm for technology can shape both technologies themselves and the processes of technological innovation. These issues are explored through a study of the small but enthusiastic high-end audio community in the United States. These users express needs, desires, and aesthetic motivations towards technology that set them apart from mainstream consumers, but also reveal important and under-recognized aspects of human relationships with technology more broadly. Covering the emergence and growth of high-end audio from the early 1970s to 2000, I trace some of the major technology transitions during this period and their associated social elements, including the shift from vacuum tube to solid-state electronics in the 1970s, and from analog vinyl records to digital compact discs in the 1980s. I show how this community came to understand technology, science, and their own social behavior through powerful emotional and aesthetic responses to music and the technologies used to reproduce music in the home. I further show how focusing on technology's users can recast assumptions about the ingredients and conditions necessary to foster technological innovation.
by Kieran Downes.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS

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Stander, Adrie. "Computer user interfaces in a multicultural society." Thesis, Cape Technikon, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11838/1369.

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Thesis (MTech(Information Technology))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 1997
This research discusses some of the cultural issues that could influence the human computer encounter in a multicultural community. The results of research to determine differences in computer usage caused by cultural differences when using computer user interfaces in simulated and real-world environments are also discussed. Various cultural aspects could possibly influence the effectiveness of the user interface in a multicultural society. Language is an important factor and studies have shown that simple translation will increase productivity (Bodley, 1993:23). However all languages do not contain the necessary technical vocabulary. Mothers from a lower social class typically use a limited language code when communicating with their children (Mussen et aI.,1984:206). As this causes the children to think in more concrete and less conceptual terms, it may influence the human computer interaction, particularly where a high degree of abstraction, such as in graphical interfaces, is used. Symbolism is problematic as symbols like light bulbs, recycle bins and VCR controls do not feature in the life of users living in slum and backward rural conditions. Lack of exposure to technology might negatively influence user attitude (Downton, 1991:25) with a corresponding inhibition of learning and performance. All external locus of control is common among disadvantaged groups due to the high degree of rejection, hostile control and criticism they experience. As the sense of being out of control is largely associated with the indication to avoid stressful situations, users from these groups might prefer to avoid situations where they do not feel in control. The strong differentiation between the roles of the sexes in certain cultures can also influence the encounter with the computer (Downton, 1991:10) It has been shown that the different gender orientations towards problem solving in these cultures can have an important influence on computer usage. The intracultural factors of social class play a significant role in determining how a person acts and thinks (Baruth & Manning, 1991 :9-1 0). Such differences may sometimes be more pronounced than those resulting from cultural diversity and may influence the orientation of the user towards abstraction and generalization.

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Frohlich, Xaq Zachary. "Accounting for taste : regulating food labeling in the "affluent society," 1945-1995." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/66037.

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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2011.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 456-493).
This dissertation traces a transformation in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's governance of food markets during the second half of the 20th century. In response to new correlations between diet and risk of disease, anxieties about (over)abundant food supplies, and changing notions of personal versus collective responsibility in an affluent society, the FDA changed how it regulated food labeling. Following WWII, the agency developed a set of standard recipes with fixed common name labels (such as "peanut butter" or "tomato soup"), or "standards of identity," for all mass-produced foods. However, the appearance of new diet foods and public health concerns undermined this system. Beginning in the 1970s, the FDA shifted its policies. Rather than rely on standardized identities, the agency required companies to provide informative labels such as the ingredients panel, nutrition labels, and various science-based health claims. Agency officials believed that such information would enable consumers to make responsible health decisions through market purchases. Food labeling is explored as a regulatory assemblage that draws together a variety of political, legal, corporate, and technoscientific interests and practices. The five chapters are organized chronologically. The first two describe how a shift in focus among nutrition scientists from concern for the undernourished to a concern with overeating led to the introduction onto the market of engineered foods capitalizing off popular interest in diet and health. A middle chapter describes a series of institutional scandals that generated the political animus to change the FDA's system, and registered a broader "shock of recognition" that Americans' views about food and food politics had changed. The final two chapters describe the introduction of "Nutrition Information" labeling in the 1970s and the mandatory "Nutrition Facts" panel in the 1990s. By looking at the regulation of labels as a kind of public-private infrastructure for information, the turn to compositional labeling can be understood not merely as a shift in representation-from whole foods to foods as nutrients-but more broadly as a retooling of food markets to embed notions about personal responsibility for health into the ways that food was designed, marketed, and consumed.
by Xaq Zachary Frohlich.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS

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Killian, Timothy S. "Aging, Technology, Innovation, and its Impact on Families." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2018. https://dc.etsu.edu/secfr-conf/2018/schedule/32.

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Dr. Tim Killian’s research interests are generally focused on social connectedness of older adults and how social and community contexts are related to health and well-being. Tim’s doctoral studies examined perceptions of normative obligations for adult children to provide resources and caregiving to their aging parents and step-parents. Dr. Killian was able to transfer that focus on research into secondary analyses of nationally representative data to develop typologies of both upstream and downstream transfers of monetary and caregiving resources between older adults and their adult children. As his career has continued at the University of Arkansas, his focus has shifted to the community context of aging and, in particular, how aging and social connections vary across the spectrum of rurality. Dr. Killian has published a paper with a recent Masters graduate on the relationship between ill-being and its association to engagement in leisure activities within long-term care using data that were mostly collected in rural long-term care facilities. In collaboration with colleagues including nursing faculty at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Killian has also used secondary analyses of data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study to examine emergency preparedness of older adults to increase their resilience and recovery outcomes during and subsequent to disasters. His research in progress continues to focus on emergency preparedness and post-disaster recovery among older adults, as well as on the formation of romantic relationships of older adults.

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Hannan, Daniel D. "Reaching information society targets| Do national culture attitudes about ict acceptance and use matter?" Thesis, Capella University, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3601960.

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The purpose of the study was to address a gap in the scholarly literature about one of the factors related to the Global Digital Divide by expanding the body of generalizable knowledge about the relationship between national culture attitudes about information and communications technology (ICT) acceptance and use (A&U) and national ICT use behavior across time. A quantitative quasi-experimental non-equivalent groups design was used as the basis for this research. Bivariate correlation analysis was conducted for 64 combinations of use behaviors and attitudes that were drawn from two secondary data sources; the first source was the World Values Survey database, and the second source the International Telecommunications Union ICT database. The study findings consistently suggest that there is a significant relationship between national culture attitudes about ICT A&U and national ICT use behavior across time and within specific periods. Furthermore, the findings suggest that at any point in time, where national culture attitudes about ICT A&U are the strongest, national ICT use behaviors will be the lowest, and where national culture attitudes about ICT A&U are the most neutral, national ICT use behaviors will be the highest.

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Wang, Chain-Wen. "A comparative analysis of perceptions of technology among doctoral students from selected science, technology, and society (STS) programs in the United States." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 2001. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=1835.

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Thesis (Ed. D.)--West Virginia University, 2001.
Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 145 p. : ill. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 125-130).

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Yeang, Chen-Pang. "Characterizing radio channels : the science and technology of propagation and interference, 1900-1935." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39172.

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Thesis (Ph. D. in History and Social Study of Science and Technology (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2004.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 409-429).
Guglielmo Marconi's trans-Atlantic wireless experiment in 1900 marked the beginning of a communication revolution that transformed the open space above the earth into channels of information flow. This dissertation grapples with the historical conditions that gave rise to such a transformation: the studies of radio-wave propagation and the treatments of radio interferences in early twentieth-century America and Western Europe. The part on propagation examines the debate between the surface diffraction theory and the atmospheric reflection theory for long waves, the development of the ionic refraction theory for short waves, the evidential quests for the existence of the ionosphere, and the studies of the geomagnetic effects on propagation. The part on interferences focuses on the engineering efforts toward the characterization of atmospheric noise and signal-intensity fluctuations, the policies of radio-channel allocation for fighting man-made interference, and the scientific research into electronic tube noise. By the mid-30s, the results from these endeavors had considerably improved the quality of radio communication. Characterizing Radio Channels builds a bridge between the history of science and the history of technology by inspecting an immaterial engineering entity--radio channels--whose control required significant scientific research. In the history of science, it contributes to an integrated study of electrical physics and geophysics. In the history of technology, it enriches radio history, epistemology of engineering knowledge, consumer studies, and the studies of technological policies. Combining both fields with the concept of radio channels enables a new understanding of the historical conditions that made the information society
(cont.) social factors that facilitated the modern research organizations in academia, industry, governments and the military.
by Chen-Pang Yeang.
Ph.D.in History and Social Study of Science and Technology (HASTS

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44

Shulman, Peter Adam. "Empire of energy : environment, geopolitics, and American technology before the age of oil." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39577.

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Thesis (Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS))--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, June 2007.
"May 2007."
Includes bibliographical references (p. 298-318).
This dissertation asks how the United States physically built its global empire. Between 1840 and 1930, empire building involved the establishment of a network of naval bases and coaling stations. By focusing on energy, I reconceptualize the American overseas empire as neither inevitable nor geographically predetermined. I trace how coal shaped U.S. expansion, how this expansion influenced ideas about national security, and how these security concerns affected the global environment. Coal reveals continuities in American foreign relations that link overseas expansion to responses to the introduction of steam power into ocean travel. As the Navy sought coal, it progressively assembled the familiar contours of America's global reach. The dissertation addresses both global and local history. It shows how policy makers before the Civil War demonstrated tremendous creativity in initiating geological investigations, diplomatic arrangements, and commercial agreements in foreign territories. Between the Civil War and 1898, these approaches gradually gave way to a more singular effort by the Navy to control strategic ports around the world. Soon, coal was so central to the Navy that coaling strategy and technology formed a foundation for the education of elite officers at the Naval War College, where its study shaped the planning for future wars. Attention to Americans in Borneo, Japan, the Isthmus of ...
Peter Adam Shulman.
Ph.D.in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS

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Shaw, William R. "Broadacre City : American fable and technological society /." Thesis, Connect to title online (Scholars' Bank), 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1794/10177.

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Rambaree, Komalsingh. "The ecology of the internet & early adolescent sexulity in a technology-driven mauritian society." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2007. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509111.

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Córdoba-Pachon, José-Rodrigo. "A critical systems thinking approach for the planning of information technology in the information society." Thesis, University of Hull, 2001. http://hydra.hull.ac.uk/resources/hull:5426.

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This thesis presents a view of the situation of Information and Communications Technology Planning (ICTP) from the perspective of Critical Systems Thinking (CST). Nowadays with the increasing use of information and communications technologies and the possibilities of management of information, organisations and people in general focus attention on the planning of these technologies. Such type of planning has been often understood as a process that aims to get competitive advantage through the use of information and ensure that it will contribute to the improvement of the way of life of societies. The outcomes in different countries and problems encountered make necessary to explore the possibility of an alternative view in planning that could be more inclusive and participative regarding people involved and affected by this process. In this thesis such a view is defined as 'strategic'. It considers that different groups of people have different concerns that are necessary to address. By using a combination between the systems theories of Autopoiesis and boundary critique, the strategic view is presented. It opens the possibility of including different groups of people and their concerns, as well as debating the consequences of addressing some of these concerns in action. Concerns are viewed as system boundaries. A methodological approach to support a process of ICTP is defined from the strategic view. This approach was used to intervene at Javeriana University in Colombia in a project called "Exploring possible roles for information technologies at Javeriana University" from March to July 1999. Reflections about this project lead the author to propose enriching the strategic view with an understanding of the issue of ethics in the practice of ICTP and in the improvement of the way of life of individual and collective subjects. The ideas of power and ethics from Michel Foucault are used to enrich the strategic view of planning and to enhance critique on the ethics fostered by practitioners. This critique fosters also continuous awareness about the life projects of practitioners and of individuals in general, as a proposal to improve their way of life in the development of the information society.

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Makki, Nidaa. "A naturalistic inquiry into preservice teachers' experiences with science, technology, and society (STS) curricular approaches." [Kent, Ohio] : Kent State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc%5Fnum=kent1216645974.

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Thesis (Ph.D.)--Kent State University, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 29, 2009). Advisor: Wendy Sherman Heckler. Keywords: Science-Technology-Society; STS; Pre-service Science Teachers; Socio-scientific Issues; Science and Society. Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-224).

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Hosick, Nanci D. "Parent/Caregiver Involvement in 2018| Past Challenges and Future Possibilities in a Technology-rich Society." Thesis, University of Pittsburgh, 2019. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=13819970.

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The purpose of the study was to explore how the use of technology can support parent/caregiver-teacher communications, thus allowing for parent/caregiver-teacher involvement through contemporary approaches. The study looked at how parent/caregivers and teachers define parent/caregiver involvement, what they see as barriers to parent/caregiver involvement, and how they believe technology can support the involvement experience.

The review of literature examines varying factors that influence parent/caregivers’ level of involvement in their children’s schooling, as well as three major influences that have the greatest impact on student achievement: family, school, and community. It also identifies barriers to parent/caregiver involvement. Although challenges exist at the family, school, and community levels, the review of literature shows that the child receives maximum benefit when all parties collaborate.

Interviews and surveys reveal how parent/caregivers and teachers of third-graders feel about parent/caregiver involvement and how technology affects communications between parent/caregivers and teachers. Findings indicate that parent/caregivers and teachers believe the use of technology supports parent/caregiver-teacher communications, therefore fostering parent/caregiver involvement. They believe it eases communication processes and allows parent/caregivers to be involved despite busy schedules. Parent/caregivers and teachers communicated that they still desire personal conversations with one another to address topics of concern, but, overall, they feel technology cultivates and supports parent/caregiver involvement.

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Blackburn, Renée Marie. "Highway madness! : politics and citizen participation in postwar U.S. traffic safety technology and policy." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/113948.

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Thesis: Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Science, Technology and Society, 2017.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 158-164).
Modern U.S. traffic safety policy is largely guided by three overarching principles that have influenced governments, industry, and community and citizen activists since the 1940s. The terms, education, engineering, and enforcement, detailed in the Action Program for Traffic Safety were developed by engineers and U.S. federal government traffic safety experts in response to growing concerns around rising traffic fatalities. In these guidelines, and the iterations that developed from them, responsibility for traffic safety shifted between drivers, policy makers, and the automotive industry. My dissertation examines the evolution of traffic safety policy, specifically looking at solutions to reach zero fatalities, over multiple decades. The traffic safety experts, including the auto industry, federal government, and community activists, striving for zero fatalities have reshaped traffic infrastructure, automotive regulation, and consumer perceptions of risky behaviors in an attempt to solve a major public health issue. Broadly following four themes, infrastructure, institutions, technology, and behavior, each chapter highlights how these actors mitigated risks and defined safety in order to find solutions to highway fatalities. To safety-concerned government officials and industry leaders, central actors in the development of federal traffic safety policy, traffic safety encompassed engineering, education, enforcement, citizenship, humanitarian, and moral issues. On the other hand, to women's community and activist groups, like MADD, traffic safety's focus was the education of drivers and pedestrians, and the prevention of crashes through educational and public health approaches. However, to working class white males, government mandated safety was viewed as an infringement upon their freedom as individuals to choose how to be safe and how to define their level of safety, regardless of its effects on others. Through analysis of these narratives emerges a more complete picture of the public health, education, and social policy implications of twentieth century traffic safety, the role of citizen activism in traffic safety policy development at the local, state, and federal levels, and the ways in which the traffic safety solutions have shifted over time.
by Renée Marie Blackburn.
Ph. D. in History, Anthropology, and Science, Technology and Society (HASTS)

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Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Society and technology'

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