The USDA's Rural Electrification Program used posters such as this to spread the word about the benefits of electricity for farmers and other rural people. (Image courtesy of USDA.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. David Mindell
Prof. Merritt Roe Smith
MIT Course Number
STS.462
As Taught In
Spring 2006
Level
Graduate
Course Description
Course Description
This course is a graduate reading seminar, in which historical and contemporary studies are used to explore the interaction of technology with social and political values. Emphasis is on how technological devices, structures, and systems influence the organization of society and the behavior of its members. Examples are drawn from the technologies of war, transportation, communication, production, and reproduction.