Social Science & Technology: Coursework on Interdisciplinary Impacts

This homework assignment explores the multifaceted relationship between technology and social sciences. The student defines technology and discusses its interdisciplinary connections with psychology and sociology, emphasizing how technological advancements have reshaped research methodologies and understanding of human behavior. The assignment further examines the application of an interdisciplinary social science approach to studying technology accessibility for disabled individuals. Key topics include the impact of technology on social interaction, online social identity, the consequences of technology, and its influence on work and work-life balance. The student provides concise essay answers, referencing course materials to support their arguments and demonstrating an understanding of technology's pervasive influence on society.

Student’s name _________________________
Based on our readings and discussions during the first 4 weeks of this course, state
the most important fact you learned that support your answers. Each answer is
worth 1 point.
Term Most important fact
Definition of Technology Technology is most commonly understood as
applied scientific knowledge in various fields
especially industry and commercial segment to
improve the social lives of human beings.
Technological change Changes in technology involve the research and
development of procedures through new inventions.
It is subjected to the innovative nature of human
mind to present the evolved forms of existing
versions of technological equipments to ease the
social life of individuals.
Withdrawal from technology Withdrawal from technology is the setting back the
over usages of technology time to time so that a
natural life, as it developed with course of time, can
be led in social and natural surroundings.
Interdisciplinary Social Science and its importance
to studying technology.
The interdisciplinary social sciences are important
to assess and evaluate the social and all other kinds
of changes in human lives which technology has
brought over the course of time. It has taken
centuries to understand how human life has
improved with the help of technology.
Accessibility to technology Accessibility to technology relies heavily upon the
technological sources which are made available to
human beings in any social context. As much as
people have used it for their positive changes, the
technology has justified that people’s lives has
improved in any social sphere.
Technology and social interaction Technology has made the interactive methods
among humans easy and smooth with the invention
of new factors. In fact, interaction of human beings
has certainly improved though, the use of advanced
interactive methods have also made some negative
usages of technology in human life—the modern
acts of terrorism and their spread with the help of
online media platforms is the live example of the
same.
Online social identity The invention of online social media platforms has
allowed people to have a virtual identity along with
their physical ones. Opening new dimensions of
socializing with other humans and it has crossed the
boundaries of nations in the modern social and
cultural context.
Consequences of technology The consequences of technology are not limited to
bring positive changes merely; they can be
disastrous and calamitous to human civilization, if
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not used wisely because of their destructive nature.
Technological impact on work The impacts of technology on working natures of
human beings can be analyzed through the fact that
it has provided convenience and smoothness of
working. It has made the lives of working
professionals of today to ensure that quality of work
is delivered with the help of advanced gadgets.
Technology and work-life balance Technology gives proper work life balance;
however, it must be applied with great efforts. It has
made the working conditions complex and
competitive in nature.
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Answer each essayin paragraph form in the space below each essay. Be sure to
support your answers by citing readings. Be sure to answer all parts of each
question when you write your essay. Limit each answer to 150-200 words. Use this
document as a template and simply type your answers below each question.
SHORT ESSAYS (each worth 6 points)
1. Define technology. Discuss how two of the social science disciplines (choose
from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and gerontology) have a
relationship to technology and explain the relationship between each of these
disciplines and technology.
Ans. To define technology, it is the application of scientific knowledge into
various streams of the social and commercial sectors to make the human lives
easy. The understanding of human behavior is done in the psychology and with
the development of technology; various unheard and misunderstood factors about
human mind are now open and accurately accessible. For example, the collection
of variables through scientific methods was a Utopia in the past, however, now,
there are various techniques available for making the researches comfortable to
access the data and other factors. In fact, with the involvement of scientific
methods in psychology has now proved that the research outcomes can be clear
and accurate, if compared to the past when human civilization was
underdeveloped in terms of technological innovations to have advanced apparatus
and research techniques to assess the complexity of human mind. Now days, it
has become possible with the help of technology to trace and locate the exact
points of problems within human mind’s premises and to resolve them has
become easy and comfortable.
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2. Using the Week 2 resources within our classroom, justify the use of an
interdisciplinary social science approach to the study of accessibility to
technology among the disabled.
Ans. To study the accessibility of technology to the disabled, the technological
innovations in the field of psychology has helped the researchers in a great deal. One
would view that the traditional psychology believed in the diversification of the human
mind provided that the human mind is all about responding to the given situations in
terms of the patterns and observations which it makes in the course of time. However,
this pattern is changed in the current context because of the technological advancements
of the modern psychology. The interdisciplinary approach of technology connects
psychology as an understanding of human mind to various other streams of humanities. It
is like getting one stream connected to another, if seen from broad social perspective to
explain the human mind. This was one of the most complicated issues to the researchers
of the psychology before the inclusion of technology in the subject officially but, the
limits are now reduced drastically.
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