Science and Technology in a Global Context (HIST*1250) | College of Arts

Science and Technology in a Global Context (HIST*1250)

Code and section: HIST*1250*01

Term: Winter 2022

Instructor: Tara Abraham

Details

HIST*1250 – Science and Technology in a Global Context
Instructor:  Dr. Tara Abraham
e-mail: taabraha@uoguelph.ca

Method of Delivery: 

This course will have a mix of in-person and online lectures, all delivered in a synchronous format. The in-person lectures will not be recorded for later viewing, so students are expected to attend all in-person components.

Course Synopsis:  

Science and technology are two of the most powerful cultural forces in human history. This course will introduce you to the historical development of science and technology in a global context, from the late ancient period to the early 21st century. Through a close examination of scientific and technological objects and practices, we will address the ways in which science and technology are shaped by social and cultural contexts and how they in turn shaped those contexts. Our focus will be on the trajectories in which knowledge, objects, and practices have circulated between cultures throughout history. In examining the ways that the development of science and technology is contingent upon time and place, we will address themes such as cosmology, religion, colonialism, exploration, race, gender, class, war, and environmentalism.

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  1. appreciate the contributions of science and technology to world history;
  2. recognize that science and technology are dependent on their social, cultural, and historical contexts and cannot be understood outside of them;
  3. recognize the ways in which knowledge and skills have travelled and been constructed across cultures;
  4. engage with the central issues, research approaches, and practices of history as a discipline;
  5. develop skills in critical reading, writing, and thinking; and in library research and critical evaluation of information.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Quizzes  15%
Take-Home Midterm Exam  20%
Assignment 1  10%         
Assignment 2  20%
Take-Home Final Exam  35%

Texts and/or Resources Required:

James E. McClellan III and Harold Dorn, Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction (3rd edition). Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

**Please note:  This is a preliminary web course description only.  The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description.  The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.**

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