Human Gods: Science, Technology, and Culture in History

Catalog description

This is a readings and discussion based history course on the interplay between science, technology, and culture in history from the global scientific revolution to the human genome project. The overarching theme of the course is "Human Gods" because we will pay close attention to how scientists in their attempts to manipulate nature in a sense "play god" and how playing god may have devastating consequences for marginalized groups in particular and humanity more generally. Some various arenas of science and technology including medicine, military technology, and computer technology are examined in the course to demonstrate how individuals, industries, and governments have harnessed science and technology to control nature (such as with disease control, other nations in warfare, and general human activity via computer technologies).