History of Technology: Tools of Toil

The history of tool use and technological innovation is a global enterprise reflecting an expression of everything that is human. Since the dawn of fire and art in the dusk of some previous ice age the human dream of control over the unpredictable events that torment our material lives has moved apace. Having transformed the dreams and the dreamer our inventions today surround us with a human crafted world of bewildering electrical dimensions peopled by subtle mechanical contrivances and hordes of electronic slaves.

One goal of this course is to allow you to better understand how the web of tools, tool use and tool making influences your life. We analyze how technology and techniques through our continuing use of implements and utensils, machines and media profoundly alters you and the world. Another goal of the class is to engage you in an ongoing conversation with me, your fellow students, and the people beyond the class as to the proper role of technology in our lives and our larger society.

And a final goal of the course is to introduce you to the means of information for determining, to your own satisfaction, the cost of, the meaning and the significance of technology in shaping our individual and collective identities as morally imaginative and spiritually diverse human citizens.

Interviews

concept map is conceived | tools are defined | web of technical relations emerges

Each writer that we read has a very different perspective on how technology functions and what a technological society demands of us. Use all of these authors to demonstrate how we arrived at this fork in the historical road.

By using their evidence, voices, and stories to enhance your contributions to the discussion you demonstrate to me your reflective thinking.

Our new technology as it is transforming us, is affecting this planet’s ecological life support system, from which we really derive our economic livelihoods. You interpret and evaluate the arguments of every author so that together you may use their opinions, facts and concepts to enhance your own intellectual curiosity, expressive talents, practical insights, and commercial skills.

Required Reading: Texts to read and interpret:

Neil Postman, Technopoly
Carroll Pursell, White Heat
Mark E. Eberhart, Why Things Break.
Arnold Pacey, Technology in World Civilization, [TWC]
Charles P. Snow, Two Cultures
Michio Kaku, Visions

I recommend you also read:

Don DeLillo, White Noise, NYC: Penguin, 1992.
Edward Tenner, Why Things Bite Back.
Jared Diamond, Gun’s, Germs and Steel.
Arnold Pacey, Meaning in Technology, Cambridge, MIT Press, 2001.

I grade assignments with careful attention to each of these criteria: {CLIFS}

1. clarity, coherence, spelling, grammar, rationality & logical consistency.
2. length & development of your presentations, arguments, themes, or explaining concepts.
3. informative value of evidence from class texts, library research, or personal interviews.
4. frequency of examples from my web site, lecture notes, journal, texts & readings.
5. substantial discussion of the subject & introductions, summaries, conclusions.

§ § §

Class and Speaking Etiquette: Speak so that everyone understands and address your written and spoken work to the class as your audience. In order to sharpen your analysis, I require clear communication in this course and anticipate that you will not be eating, texting, answering cell phones, or surfing the internet during class as this disturbs your classmates and by department policy -- I will have to count you absent for that day if you engage in any of the above prohibited activities.

Your attention is my real concern because I promote these goals of active citizenship:

one: to practice greater poise in asking appropriate questions in job interviews.
two: to demonstrate your analytical ability as the member of a project team or jury.
three: to exercise sensible control when giving formal testimony or presentations.
four: to create opportunities to display empathy & practice qualities of speaking well.

We spend class time on comparing oral & written interpretations of assigned readings. Everyone over the course of the term orally interprets the readings and expresses their writings for the rest of the class in a variety of informal and more structured formats. I truly value your paying attention to others and not interrupting them. Read the assigned pages and summarize them before the class starts.

Class activities -- including free writing, group exercises, and problem solving, answering questions or leading discussions –should help to increase everyone’s comprehension.

Where are we going next?

Pursell | Pacey | Postman | Eberhart | Snow | Kaku

Week One: the story of Thamus

Week Two: Pursell question and the story of Prometheus

Assignments

My schedule

Technology Defined

Rest of the current 2007, Syllabus

Tulips as tools?

Tools of Toil: what to read.

Tools are historical building blocks of technology.

Technology can be understood if tools have three facets.

Tools used in both Music and Architecture led to mechanization and automation.

Tools and the study of technology require us to reflect on the power of instruments,