Living in a Virtual World

Course Description

Dell Computers founder Michael Dell has said that the internet is not a technological phenomenon, but a social one. But exactly how has it changed the way we live, and how we view the world? Has it made possible the decades-old concept of a global village? Or is it a divisive tool keeping us apart not only from the person sitting next to us, as we email our friend in Japan, but from others without access? Will the net, as some critics charge, further widen gaps between haves and have-nots, or further isolate those unable to adapt, such as the uneducated or the elderly? Or rather, will the internet serve as a tool to unite people and foster cultural understanding? Through a series of interactive exercises, carefully-chosen readings, and five major papers, students examine the complex, ever-evolving role the internet plays in our lives and society.