The course looks at conceptual frameworks that try to explain the fundamental relationships between technology and society. Given that (at least at a theoretical level) technology is the most important force shaping society and culture today, the course concentrates on the dialectical, interactive shaping of societies and technologies. Many approaches, from technological determinism to neo-marxism and post-modernism, are used to address such issues as technology and gender, the fate of skill and labor's power under changing conditions, technology and war, the problem of technocracy, the politics of design, and technology and consumer culture.
