Required for all engineering majors
Technology is power: it puts in humanity’s hands the ability to create and destroy. How has modern technology thus shaped—and been shaped by—society? We examine this question in historical perspective from the Industrial Revolution to the present, aiming to learn from the legacy of the past. We pay particular attention to technology's social and historical consequences; the human and environmental contexts of technological infrastructures; and historical debates over what constitutes an ethical model of technological innovation. The course covers the historical and modern development of professions based on technology, including those requiring licensure. In this way, the course provides a critical perspective for an informed approach to technology and society in the modern world.