Neal Postman

1931-2003



Address the following questions fully and completely in your own words and voice; save your answers electronically. You will see at least one of these questions on your next unit exam in which you will be asked to demonstrate that you have read and mastered the material. Prepare your answers now. 
  1. Why is Postman considered a Durkheimian?  What elements of his theory do not fit this mold?
  2. How has the socialization process changed in the 20th century?  How have these changes affected childhood?
  3. How has television affected social and political discourse in modern American society?
  4. In what sense is technological change "ecological" in nature?  
  5. Compare and contrast technocracy and technopoly.?  Which do we live in?


Required Reading:

Sociocultural Systems: Contemporary Expression of Classical Theory, Chapter 9 Neil Postman's Technological Determinism.

Recommended Reading:

Stirring up Trouble

Link:

Neil Postman's Technopoly

Some Short Takes:

While Postman is coming from a background in communications, his theory and social criticism are well informed by the broader social sciences...Postman is highly readable, arguably the best writer covered in this course...He owes much to Norbert Elias and Elizabeth Eisenstein.

     

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