From iPhones to intelligence testing to immunizations, technology, science, and medicine permeate our modern lives. In this course, students will learn to think critically about technology, science, and medicine and analyze how they have transformed the world in spectacular and mundane ways. We explore questions such as: How has the development of the medical profession shaped debates about inoculation or the AIDS epidemic? How have culture and politics affected the goals and designs of such technologies as guns, washing machines, and electrical systems? How have science, technology, and politics interacted in debates over climate change? And, ultimately, how should we manage the tension between popular democracy and technical expertise?
Course Requirements:
Weekly reading, short reading responses, two exams, and two essays.
Class Format:
There will be two lectures and one discussion session per week. Requirements include attendance at both lectures and section.