This module examines the history of technological change and innovation in the United States from the eighteenth century to the start of the twenty-first. It calls into question standard narratives of American technological progress and determinism by focussing on the often-contentious relationship between technology, culture, and society. The module emphasises the ways humans shape and are shaped by technological systems to explore how ideologies of power and difference such as race, class, gender, sexuality, and ability have defined the history of the United States. Students will read and mobilise theories of technology and technological change to understand a diversity of perspectives and reveal new insights on the history of technology. Topics may include: indigenous technologies, technology and enslavement, the factory system, transportation technologies, mass production, the space race, computing systems, the Internet and social media.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
analyse and critically appraise key events and historical processes relevant to the subject under scrutiny
analyse and critically evaluate a wide range of relevant primary source material
critically evaluate the historiographical context and trends of the subject under exploration
summarise, synthesise and evaluate the subject material in a sophisticated written form
