Mind & Society 16: "Ethnography and New Technology: Current Debates"
September 4/5, 2009 (Friday/Saturday)
Theme
The theme of this year's Mind & Society seminar is "Ethnography and New Technology: Current Debates". Over the past 15-20 years the relationship between new technology and social action, especially organisational action, has become a major research focus in social science. The study of technology-in-use is thematic across a number of cognate research fields, including social studies of technology, HCI (human-computer interaction) and CSCW (computer-supported cooperative work). Central to debates in these fields are issues of theory and method, especially the role of ethnographic methods in the investigation of situated technological activities. This year’s meeting will bring together globally renowned scholars in the study of technology-in-use.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
On the evening before the conference, we will meet from 7pm in the Lass O'Gowrie on Charles Streeet [map].
Friday, September 4, 2009
10:00 - 11:30
An 'odd mix': Ethnography in the development of CSCW technologies
Prof. Kjeld Schmidt (IT University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
11:30 - 11:45
Coffee
11:45 - 13:15
Questions about the role of theory in studies of new technologies
Prof. Jonathan Grudin (Microsoft Research, USA)
13.15 - 14:30
Lunch
14:30 - 16:00
Videos and multimodal transcripts for the study of multi-tasking in technologically mediated activities
Prof. Lorenza Mondada (University of Lyon 2, France)
16:00 - 17:30
Ethnographic eclecticism
Dr. Dave Randall (MMU)
19:30
Conference dinner
Tai Pan
(0161 273 2798), on the corner of Upper Brook Street and Brunswick Street [map]
Saturday, September 5, 2009
09:30 - 11:00
By the pricking of my thumbs: Ethnography and the advance of information systems technology
Prof. Elihu M. Gerson (Tremont Research Institute, San Francisco, USA)
11:00 - 11:15
Coffee
11:15 - 12:45
Ethnographies of scaling: The growing of infrastructure
Prof. David Ribes (Georgetown University, USA)
12:45-14:15
Designing points of view: Sociology and the form of life that is systems design
Prof. Richard Harper (Microsoft Research Cambridge)
Venue
Sandra Burslem Building [map]
Room 2.05
MMU
Further Details
Mind & Society is free to attend, all are welcome, and no booking is required.
See www.mind-society.org for information on previous conferences.