Science and Civilization

Catalog description

This course explores the social, political and historic contexts and implications of several scientific and technological developments through a variety of genres, including textbooks, newspapers and magazine articles, film, music, art, literature and the internet. The goal of this course is to raise student awareness of the global impacts, positive and negative, associated with specific scientific and technological developments, with emphasis on discerning the interconnectedness of those impacts. Through inquiry, research and debate, students develop a better understanding of the unique historical, social, political and cultural contexts in which these scientific and technological developments evolved and the influence these contexts had upon the form of these developments. In addition, students gain a deeper appreciation of the implications of these developments on the present and future.