CE 212 – Power, Change and Technology

CE 212 – Power, Change, and Technology; Weekly hours: 2+1; ECTS: 5
The aim of this course is to introduce the current views of technology and associated cultural changes and the contexts in which these developed; the changing role of technology in modern industrial society; recent efforts to predict and control technological developments and the social and cultural consequences. The students who successfully complete this course will be able to: Explain the role of technological systems in the development of societies; Analyze the social forces that shape technology; Assess the relationship between natural knowledge and technology; Analyze the use of technology for military and social power; Demonstrate critical thinking about the historical significance of technology in relations to broad social changes. Course contents are: Introduction to the history of technology; Technology across cultures; Medieval technology; The commercial revolution; Technologies of survival; Manipulation and control; Communication and transportation; The projection of Power; The age of automobiles; War and the military-industrial complex; High tech and appropriate tech.