History of Technology Toggle navigation

This course surveys technological changes and the development of a technological society in North America from Native American inhabitation to the late twentieth century. It focuses on the relationship between technology and human values, giving specific attention to the ways in which innovations and technological systems shape and are shaped by American society and culture. This course will use technological development as a way to explore social divisions such as race, class and gender, economic development, the nature of work and labor, technological determinism, the relationship between science and technology, human relationships with the environment, and the appropriate use of technology.