Overview
This course will consider the ways in which technology, broadly defined, has contributed to the building of American society from colonial times to the present. Far from being an "add-on" to political and social events, technology is viewed as a central organizing theme in American history. Indeed, the United States is often referred to in today's popular media as "the technological society." What does that expression mean? Why did it originate? How and in what ways does technology intersect with other strands of American history — society and politics, for instance? Does technology mean progress? If so, progress for whom and for what? What is the relationship between technology and democracy in America?
This course has three primary goals: to train students to ask critical questions of both technology and the broader American culture of which it is a part; to provide an historical perspective with which to frame and address such questions; and to encourage students to be neither blind critics of new technologies, nor blind advocates for technologies in general, but thoughtful and educated participants in the democratic process.
This class meets three times a week: on Mondays and Wednesdays there will be a 50-minute lecture or film and a recitation section led by Shane Hamilton. In addition to attending all classes, students are expected to participate in class discussions by reading the assigned materials before class and thinking about the themes, questions, and historical patterns the readings suggest.
Assignments
Writing for this course will consist of a book report (5-6 pages), an assigned essay (11-12 pages), a revision of the assigned essay, and two or three reading response/reflection papers (2-3 pages). There also may be impromptu reading quizzes, depending on how well class discussions go. Specific instructions for these assignments will be forthcoming.
Due dates for the writing assignments are:
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Book Review: Due in session 11
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Essay: Due in session 17
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Revised Essay: Due 2 days after session 22
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Reading Response Papers: each student will be assigned two or three dates on which they are expected to submit their response papers. These papers will be used by the instructors to initiate discussion during the recitation sections.
All written work must be typed, double-spaced, with adequate margins. All papers must be proofread (not just spell-checked!) before submission; papers will be downgraded for careless errors. A writing tutor, Jessica Weintraub, has been assigned to this class. Students who need extra help with writing will be notified by Professor Smith or Mr. Hamilton and, of course, can seek out Ms. Weintraub on their own.
There will be a three-hour final examination covering all material from the entire semester. This will occur during final exam week. Keep in mind that the lectures and readings for this course do not usually cover the same material, and lecture notes are not available in the library. This means that you must take good notes during the lectures to help you study for the final exam.
In this class, only parts of the lectures will make it onto the blackboard, so plan on taking notes on everything whether it is on the board or not. You might want to find a "lecture note buddy" in case you miss a class. There is no mid-term examination, but unannounced quizzes on the reading assignments and films are always possible.
Grading
Final grades will be determined as follows:
A Word to the Wise
Regular attendance, participation, and a good attitude are essential. Without all three you will not get much out of this course. Attendance will be taken and poor attendance will result in severe final grade penalties. Each student is allowed four (4) cuts. Thereafter one's final grade will be reduced by one full grade per cut.
Readings
Reading assignments should be completed before each lecture. The following textbooks are required, in addition to the readings distributed in class:
Cowan, Ruth Schwartz. A Social History of American Technology. New York: Oxford UP, 1997.
Smith, Merritt Roe, and Gregory Clancey, eds. Major Problems in the History of American Technology. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998.