HSCI 240 Technology and Science in American Culture (Not offered 1998-99; to be offered 1999-2000)

Although technologically dependent, the American colonies slowly built a network of native scientists and inventors whose skills helped shape the United States' response to the Industrial Revolution. The interaction of science, technology, and society in the nineteenth century did much to form American identity: the machine in the garden, through the "American System of Manufactures" helped America rise to technological prominence; the professionalization and specialization of science and engineering led to their becoming vital national resources. Understanding these developments, as well as the heroic age of American invention (1865-1914), forms the focus of this course: how science and technology have helped shape modern American life. Requirements: class discussion, six short reports (1-2 pages), and a final exam. Satisfies one semester of Division II requirement. Open to first-year students.

D. BEAVER