The IDS Minor in Technology and Culture offers students majoring in other programs the opportunity to explore the connections between technology and culture and to examine how these relations shape our experience and understanding of modern life. Through a selection of interdisciplinary courses, students can study both how technology has shaped the cultural environment and how the interpretation of culture helps us to understand the diversity of experiences – the hopes, opportunities, and anxieties – of living in an increasingly complex technological world. Doing so helps us to understand what it means to be a part of this world, and empowers us to engage it by developing the critical skills to analyze, interpret, and navigate the interrelations between technology and culture.
Courses and Requirements
To earn the minor, students must successfully complete 20 credits from the courses listed, of which a minimum of 8 credits must be taken at the 300/400 level. Students must earn a C average in the courses applied toward the minor, and earn a minimum grade of C- in each course applied toward the minor. A minimum of eight credits applied toward the minor must be taken at SUNY Polytechnic Institute.
100/200 level courses
- IDS 102: Art and Culture
- IDS 103: Science, Technology, and Human Values
- IDS 201: Perspectives on Knowledge
300/400 level courses
- IDS 301: Monsters, Robots, Cyborgs
- IDS 302: Postmodernism and Popular Culture
- IDS 304: Technology in American History
- IDS 435: Art and Technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply the IDS courses I am taking to meet my General Education requirements to the minor?
Yes, one of the advantages of this minor is you can meet some of your General Education requirements while simultaneously earning credit toward the minor. If you complete IDS 102, 103, and 201, you will need to take two additional upper-level courses to earn the minor. If you have not taken IDS 104, you may take IDS 304 as one of these upper-level courses while simultaneously meeting the American history requirement.
How do I sign up for the minor?
You can declare an academic minor by filling out a Change of Program form and getting it signed by an IDS advisor. The form is available at the registrar’s office or online at sunypoly.edu/registrar/forms.
