This course is designed as an introduction to key ideas about technology using historical and contemporary case studies that give us a different way to think about technology and its relationship to society.

Technology is a human product, not an autonomous force. Technology makes nothing happen by itself, but only as the result of human action. We can, therefore, only make sense of technology by understanding it as an integral part of human history.

The theme of ethics is present throughout the course. We learn how human choices shape technological change in ways that affect the principles of a just society. We read about the responsibility of technical professionals to act in the public interest and minimize harm. We look at how people make ethical judgments when participating in technical decision making.