Organized by UIAH Media Lab, the study module in
Cultural Usability is targeted to doctoral and MA-level students with
interest in cultural and social aspects of technology and design. The
module involves readings, attending to the Cultural Usability seminar
on April 24 and a written essay. The purpose of the study is to
develop and deepen the cultural-critical perspectives of the
student’s thesis project.
The Cultural Usability seminar will take place on
April 24, 2001 at LUME, Sampo auditorium. More details at http://mlab.uiah.fi/7research/CU_intro.html
The research project’s online publication, with
introductions to critical topics and further readings, will be
published April 20, 2001.
The students are expected to write an essay (5000-7000 words) developing a critical perspective to information technology and design, preferably relating to the student’s doctoral or MA thesis subject. To discuss and agree on the scope of readings and topic of essay, contact professor Minna Tarkka, tarkka@uiah.fi.
April 10 – application
deadline: the application should include
- a 200-word abstract of the students research
- suggested title and reading list for the essay
- submission by email (with Word or .rtf attachments)
tarkka@uiah.fi
April 24 – Cultural usability seminar
May 15 - Essay deadline
- written in English or Finnish
- 5000-7000 words
- submitted as Word/rtf attachment or as url of the
essay site
June 1 – Feedback & credits
NOTE! The list of suggested readings is flexible,
and the students may select a part of the readings or propose further
readings by contacting professor Minna Tarkka. Most of the books are
available from the Media Lab library.
Jay David Bolter, Richard Grusin,
Remediation. Understanding New Media. The MIT Press, Cambridge,
Massachusetts 1999.
Richard Coyne, Designing Information Technology in
the Postmodern Age: From Method to Metaphor. The MIT Press,
Massachusetts and London 1995.
Andrew Feenberg, Questioning Technology. Routledge,
London and New York 1999.
Donna J Haraway, "Situated Knowledges: The
Science Question in Feminism and the Priviledge of Partial
Perspective" and "A Cyborg Manifesto", in Simians,
Cyborgs and Women. Free Association Books. London 1991.
Kari Kuutti, "Activity Theory as a Potential
Framework for HCI Research". In Bonnie A. Nardi, ed. Context and
Consciousness. Activity Theory and Human-Computer Interaction. The
MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts 1996.
Bruno Latour, Science in Action. How to follow
scientists and engineers through society. Harvard University Press,
Cambridge, Massachusetts 1987.
Bruno Latour, Pandora’s Hope. Essays on the
Reality of Science studies. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Massachusetts and London 1999.
Donald MacKenzie and Judy Wajcman (eds.).The Social
Shaping of Technology, 2nd ed. Open University Press, Buckingham and
Philadelphia 1999.
Mika Pantzar, Tulevaisuuden koti. Arkisia tarpeita
keksimässä. Otava, Helsinki 2000.
Lucy Suchman, Plans and situated actions: The Problem
of Human-Machine Communication. Cambridge University Press 1987.
Readings available online (a selection):
Phil Agre, "Designing Genres for New Media:
Social, Economic and Political Contexts." Cybersociety 2.0.
Revisiting Computer-Mediated Communication and Community, ed. Steven
G. Jones. Sage 1998.
http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/genre.html
Liam J. Bannon, "Perspectives on CSCW: From HCI
and CMC to CSCW"
http://www.ul.ie/~idc/library/papersreports/LiamBannon/5/EWHCI92.html
Pelle Ehn, "Scandinavian Design: On
Participation and Skill"
http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/ilt/papers/Ehn.html
Andrew Feenberg, "From Essentialism to
Constructivism: Philosophy of Technology at the Crossroads," in
E. Higgs, D.Strong, and A. Light, eds., Technology and the Good Life.
Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press, forthcoming 2000.
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/feenberg/talk4.html
Andrew Feenberg, "Subversive Rationalization:
Technology, Power and Democracy"
http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/feenberg/Subinq.htm
John Law, "Networks, Relations, Cyborgs: On the
Social Study of Technology"
http://tina.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/soc042jl.html
Lev Manovich, The Language of New Media, MIT Press
(forthcoming 2001)
http://www-apparitions.ucsd.edu/~manovich/LNM/Manovich.pdf
Lucy Suchman, "Human/Machine Reconsidered"
http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/soc040ls.html
Lucy Suchman, "Located Accountabilities in
Technology Production"
http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/soc039ls.html