79-234 Technology and Society

9 units, Carnegie Mellon University

How has technology shaped human society? And how have human beings shaped technology in return? This course investigates these questions across history-from stone tools, agriculture, and ancient cities to windmills, cathedrals, and the printing press; from railroads, electricity, and airplanes to atom bombs, the internet, and the dishwasher. In analyzing these tools, we will explore the dynamic relationships between technological systems and the social, political, religious, artistic, and economic worlds in which they emerged. We will also pay particular attention to technology's effects, asking both who benefited from and who was harmed by technological change. By the end of the course, students will be able to reflect critically on how humanity chooses which technologies to exploit and how human societies have been transformed by these choices. This course fulfills Dietrich College's "Humanities" general education requirement.

Prerequisites: none listed

Offered: Spring 2027, Summer 2026, Spring 2026, Fall 2025

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