Technology in History
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this Science, Technology, and Society course examining whether technological change truly drives historical progress, organized around four transitions: the emergence of humans as a history-making species, the Neolithic Revolution and the rise of agriculture, the industrial revolution's leap in productivity, and the modern acceleration tied to global empire. Readings pair David Christian's Maps of Time with texts ranging from Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear to Hersey's Hiroshima. The course includes illustrated lectures, class discussions, guest lectures, short problem paper assignments, and a student-defined final project. This particular run, tied to MIT's 150th anniversary in 2011, also traces connections between MIT as an institution and technological history over the past century and a half. Materials are freely available through MIT OpenCourseWare under a Creative Commons license, with no certificate offered.