Social Impacts of Science and Technology: Case Studies

MALS

72600

Social Impacts of Science and Technology: Case Studies

This course will be a close examination of scientific developments. Case studies will change each semester--for example, Darwin's legacy, eugenics, the rise of the internet, the invention of the wheel, the mapping of the human genome, theories of consciousness, the emergence of the neurodiversity movement, and artificial intelligence are all possible topics. There will be emphasis on both great discoveries of science and inventions of technology as well as less high-profile developments whose social impacts are nonetheless significant. The course will focus on science's capacity to change the course of human history, with a view to assessing their origins, impact, evolution, and the political and ethical questions they raise. Readings will be interdisciplinary, including history, film, fiction and scholarly science studies from disciplines as diverse as philosophy, psychology, cultural studies, and sociology. Readings will serve a models for methodologies for studying and writing about science and technology.

Offer as needed

Graduate School Graduate

Yes

030893