The old and the new: a tractor and plow, in front of a pair of oxen pulling a plow. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-55902.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. Deborah Fitzgerald
MIT Course Number
STS.428
As Taught In
Fall 2004
Level
Graduate
Translated Versions
Course Description
Course Description
This course considers the historical dimensions of rural production from subsistence to industrialization, both in America and in an international context, with an emphasis on the role of science and technology. Topics include changing notions of progress; emergence of genetics and its complex applications to food production; mechanization of both farm practices and the food industry; role of migrant labor; management theory and its impact on farm practice; role of federal governments and NGOs in production systems; women in food production systems; and the green revolution.