We are more connected and yet have never felt more apart. From the loneliness epidemic to the rampant spread of divisive disinformation across our social media platforms, connection and disconnection are some of the biggest challenges facing society today.
Join fellow students from across campus to design and develop research projects guided by professors Shana MacDonald and Brandon DeHart and our Jarislowsky Fellows, whose combined interdisciplinary expertise encompasses a variety of digital technologies.
ARTS 450, ‘The Future of Connection: Platforms, Privacy, and the Public,’ will look at how so many of our interactions (with institutions, society at large, as well as other individuals) are mediated through personal devices and questions the various issues that arise around platform design, privacy policies, and public impact of this critical intersection between technology and society.
This course will meet twice weekly and in-person. The emphasis is on innovative and collaborative problem-solving with interdisciplinary teams of students, and it will culminate in the 2025 Desmarais Family Summit where students will share their findings with the UWaterloo community and beyond.
Upcoming Events
Desmarais Family Summit — Public Exhibition
Explore student-led projects from ARTS 450: The Future of Connection, examining how digital platforms shape privacy, connection, and public life. Engage with research imagining ethical, human-centered digital futures, and hear closing reflections from Dr. Heather Suzanne Woods, 2025 Jarislowsky Fellow