BEHS 103: Technology in Contemporary Society

BEHS 103 at the University of Maryland Global Campus is an interdisciplinary course on the role of technology in contemporary society.

UMGC describes it as applying concepts from the social sciences, including anthropology, sociology, psychology and gerontology, to examine how technology influences society and affects social dimensions such as interpersonal relationships, work, culture and patterns of learning. UMGC lists no prerequisites.

Everyone has opinions about smartphones and social media, which is exactly what makes the course tricky. Assignments ask for analysis grounded in social science concepts and evidence, not personal views about whether technology is good or bad. Students also lose marks by using a single lens when the course is explicitly interdisciplinary.

What BEHS 103 Covers

UMGC lists these topics. Each makes a good focus for an essay:

Key Concepts Explained

Cumulative Advantage

Small early advantages can grow over time. People with good internet access, devices and digital skills gain more opportunities, which bring more resources, while those without fall further behind. This idea links technology to inequality.

Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants

These terms contrast people who grew up with digital technology with those who adopted it later. Researchers have criticized the idea for overstating generational differences; skills vary widely within every age group. Questioning a popular concept like this is a good way to show critical thinking.

Interdisciplinary Analysis

Each discipline asks a different question. Psychology looks at individual behavior and cognition, sociology at groups and inequality, anthropology at culture and meaning, and gerontology at aging and later life. Combining two or more gives a fuller picture.

One Technology, Four Lenses

Taking one technology through each discipline is a dependable structure for BEHS 103 essays. Consider video calling. A psychologist might ask how it affects feelings of connection or fatigue. A sociologist might ask who has access to the devices and bandwidth it needs, and how it changed remote work.

An anthropologist might ask how families in different cultures use it to maintain ties across distance and what rituals have moved online. A gerontologist might ask how older adults adopt it, what barriers they meet, and whether it reduces isolation.

You will rarely need all four in one essay, but choosing two and explaining how they complement each other meets the interdisciplinary aim.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

Where Students Get Stuck

• Opinion pieces. Replace "social media is bad" with evidence-based analysis.
• One discipline only. Bring in at least two lenses.
• Outdated sources. Technology research ages quickly; check dates.
• Generalizing about generations. Recognize variation within age groups.

Study Tips for BEHS 103

• Keep a table of course concepts with an everyday technology example for each.
• Use UMGC Library databases for peer-reviewed research and reputable survey data.
• Read critiques of popular ideas so you can evaluate them, not just repeat them.
• Plan essays around one technology and one question.

How We Help with BEHS 103

Send the prompt, rubric, readings and any feedback. A social science writer can prepare a custom essay, help you apply more than one disciplinary lens, or edit your draft for argument and evidence. For broader support, see our sociology assignment help guide.

GradeEssays is independent of the University of Maryland Global Campus. Our work is a study and reference aid to use under UMGC's academic integrity policy. Every order is written from scratch, includes free revisions within the scope of your original request, and is refunded in full if it is late.