New Spring Semester 2014 course on Technology and Society in the Modern World.

Course Instructor:
Massimo Mazzotti

Time and Date:
102 Wurster, MW 4:00-5:30

How do technology and society interact? What drives technological change? How does technology transfer across different cultures?

These and other related questions are examined using historical case studies of productive, military, domestic, information, and biomedical technologies. The aim of the course is for you to learn about how technology affects social change and, especially, how technological change is invariably shaped by historical and social circumstances. At the end of the course you will be able to think historically about technology, and thus engage effectively with questions of technological change — or lack thereof. The course is aimed at students of all majors; no scientific knowledge is presupposed.

Running parallel to History 182A is History 182AT, intended for students enrolled in Berkeley’s Cal Teach minor. Students in the “T” course will both attend the regular 182A lectures and a special section. This section will focus on techniques, skills, and perspectives necessary to apply the history of science as a pedagogical aid to teach math and science in K-12 classrooms. History 182T satisfies a requirement for the Cal Teach minor.