Using the emerging technologies of the multimedia and World Wide Web, faculty in the Department of Sociology are enhancing instruction in four important areas: (1) ethnographic research and interpretation; (2) impact of digital technology on social interactions; (3) sociological data analysis and visualization; and (4) geodemographic trends and analyses. All faculty involved with this project are experienced in the specialized areas they intend to pursue through this project. This project focuses on creating a shared multimedia laboratory that enables faculty members to further upgrade integration of these technologies into college-level instruction while building on one another's expertise. To date, the department has already initiated courses that use video cameras and lap top computers to enhance ethnographic research and instruction; analyze the impact of technology on human and machine interactions; and use computer mapping systems to link demographic trends to specific geographic neighborhoods. Some multimedia instructional materials are already in use at the college, including multimedia ethnographic accounts, statistical analysis software, electronic library research data resources, and demographic maps. Some of these are already available on the World Wide Web, and others are being prepared for distribution on the Web and CD-ROM. This project enables five sociology faculty to fully implement their plans to integrate this technology into their courses and to disseminate more interactive and multimedia sociology on the Web and on CD-ROM. Working together, faculty can create a sequence of courses that makes use of this technology, enhances instruction, and empowers students in the social sciences.
