SOCIETY, TECHNOLOGY AND SECURITY

Catalog description

(Slashed with PACS 70071 ) This course engages with current debates about the relationship between society, technology, peace and security, focusing particularly on military and dual-use technologies. The course begins by analyzing the literature of how technology shapes societies and societies shape technology. This includes consideration of the way societies influence the emergence and application of particular technologies and how understandings of military technological categories (e.g., pariah weapons, precision weapons) have been socially constructed. The module then examines how states and societies have responded to the policy and governance challenges presented by the development and trade of established weapon categories. This includes analysis of the history of disarmament initiatives, movements and agreements as well as the new field of ‘humanitarian disarmament’. It also includes examination of recent initiatives aimed at limiting weapons proliferation and armed violence in conflict-ridden societies. The remainder of the course is devoted to exploring the legal, normative and policy debates about the use of modern and emerging technologies. This includes examination of the governance implications of new developments in fields such as biotechnology, nanotechnology, cyberwarfare and drones.