AUSTIN, Texas—Technology, Literacy and Culture (TLC), a relatively new interdisciplinary concentration in the College of Liberal Arts at The University of Texas at Austin, is offering a new course as an internship program beginning this summer — giving students real-world experience in technology-rich workplaces. TLC 371 will offer internships in non-profit corporations, publishing organizations, information technology-oriented companies, K-12 education, government and other businesses.
TLC 371 is targeting non-traditional workplaces such as small software startups and organizations working to bridge the “digital divide” in Austin. Among these companies are Cisco, HumanCode, NotHarvard.com, 2M.com and Free-Net. “The program aims to establish connections with the high-tech community and East Austin,” said Sam Wilson, a UT sociology professor associated with TLC.
TLC 371 is a special course that has no regular class meetings. Instead, students serve as unpaid interns that work as part of a team of student interns at company sites. In exchange, they receive three hours of upper-division credit. Students also meet weekly with their faculty member and are asked to research questions on the impact of digital technology in the workplace.
The TLC concentration provides an understanding of the role and impact of information technology in society and helps students become literate in new forms of digital communication. “Students can examine what digital technology does to community building, social systems, the chain of command in businesses and its impact on gender relations,” Wilson said.
TLC is not limited to liberal arts students, but does have certain requirements. In addition, students must apply for admission to TLC 371. For more information, please visit the Web at www.tlc.utexas.edu or contact Carol Benedict at 232-7048.
