I’m developing a new course at MSOE called “SS 3700 Digital Society.” To say I’m excited is to understate my enthusiasm for this topic. As a political science major who took computer programming classes in the late 1970s using a keypunch and a card reader and who then later got a PhD in English,  I have a long history of interdisciplinary curiosity and a strong drive to seek out connections among really disparate subjects.

The “Digital Society” course brings together my interests in humanities, social science, communication, media studies, and technology in a way that nothing else ever has. I’ve begun all the usual tasks of scholarly inquiry: assembling a bibliography (the academic equivalent of baby steps), attending meetups and conferences, joining professional societies, subscribing to journals, finding Twitter hashtags that can introduce me to new topics and fellow explorers, etc.

Since I’m essentially feeling my way here, any opinions and advice you’d be willing/able to share on this (very broad!) topic would be greatly appreciated! In return, I’ll share my readings and ideas with you. My blog isn’t really changing at all, but since I’m doing this work anyway, I’ve decided to post once in a while about what I find. Maybe it’ll be interesting for others to think about, too 🙂