Department of Psychology, Unit Catalogue 2006/07

XX50126 Dialogue between system & theory

Credits: 6

Level: Masters

Semester: 2

Assessment: EX50ES50

Requisites:

Before taking this unit you must take CM50147 and take CM50148 and take PS50067 and take XX50125 and while taking this unit you must take CM50149 and take CM50150 and take XX50127 and take XX50128

Aims & Learning Objectives:
To understand the relationships between systems and theories. Students will be able to appreciate the tensions between human processes and systems.
Content:
The unit will explore the inherent tensions between theories of human processes and the design of effective systems. It will look at the effect of systems on human processes. The historical dimensions will be explored, issues in the evolution of ideas and design, task artefact cycle, and reflections on ways of avoiding re-inventing the wheel through an inadequate appreciation of the history of technology and design. The unit will also explore tensions between evolutionary and predictive design. Core Reading: G Basalla The Evolution of Technology, Cambridge 1988 P Denning and R Metcalfe (eds) Beyond Calculation; the next fifty years of computing, Copernicus 1998 A Dix et al Human Computer Interaction, Prentice Hall 1997 D Gelernter The Muse in the Machine Free Press 1994 D Norman Defending Human Attributes in the Age of the Machine, Voyager CD-Rom 1999 S Turkle Life on the Screen; identity in the age of the Internet, Simon & Schuster 1995 D Watts Small Worlds; the dynamics of networks between order and randomness, Princeton 1999

University | Catalogues for 2006/07