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Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Welcome to English 1102 - “Virtual Borders and Converging Cultures: Representing the Brave New World”


    During the semester, I hope you will acquire a sense of appreciation for the nature of global issues and the cultural impact of new advanced technologies on modes of communication among nations, societies and communities. Internationally there is a growing phenomenon of ‘converging cultures’ as a product of globalization and its dependence on global media technology for communication. 

While many people view globalized media technology as a “converging technology for converging people,”[1]  for many others the lack of access to advanced technology has created virtual borders and a cultural divide. This in turn raises critical questions about how digital media technologies engage global politics, economies and cultures. Who controls the Internet? Does everyone have equal access to technology? How do we know what is "real" and what is "skewed", or just not true. 

In order to prepare students to be culturally sensitive professionals, coursework focuses on reading and writing about representations of human rights, terrorism, economics, politics and education, and their roles as transformational agents in both governmental institutions and communities.


[1] Luksch, Manu. Streaming Media: Virtual Borders or Digital Divide?                http://culturebase.debalie.nl/artikel.jsp?articleid=9424


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