HTY 492: Technology and Society Since 1800
Instructor: Howard Segal
Class Number: 76783
Days/Time: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 10:00 – 10:50 a.m.
Location: Stevens 355
Description: This course has three principal objectives:
- To trace major developments in the history of American technology from the nation’s founding until the present
- To evaluate the variety of conceptions of “technology”
- To examine the relationship between technological change and social and cultural change in both the past and the present
The course assumes no familiarity with the history of technology and welcomes the participation of students from non-technical and technical backgrounds alike. The course will examine the history of American technology both “internally”–as tools and machines–and “externally”–as related to the society which has produced them and upon which they in turn have had impact. Requirements are primarily short writing assignments and a take-home final exam.
General Education Requirements: Satisfies the Western Cultural Tradition requirement.
Prerequisites: Not open to first-year students.