46-2425
Technologies have long played a critical role in the development and sustenance of human societies and they have similarly raised some of the most vital questions about humanity and the natural world. Indeed, the relationships between people and machines are distinctly shaped by interconnected cultural, socioeconomic, religious, and political contexts that inform the invention, innovation, and use of technologies. This course introduces students to some of the key theorists and critics of technology and engages with a number of cultural histories of industrial technologies (the factory, the assembly line), communications technologies (the telegraph, the radio, the phone, the television, the computer), transportation technologies (the car, the bicycle), technologies of the home (appliances, electrification) and technologies of the body (prosthetics, implants, birth control). The goal of this course is for students to utilize these perspectives as a means to initiate and develop a critical analysis of technologies in their culture context.
Course descriptions are stored in OASIS and are maintained by the Associate Dean for each School.
* Prerequisite Required.
