28115 - History of Technological Innovation (1) (2nd cycle)

Learning outcomes

Al termine del corso la studentessa e lo studente: - hanno indagato dati e casi del passato e contemporanei utili a comprendere alcuni aspetti delle interazioni tra scienza e società, nonché la loro evoluzione e diffusione in contesti temporali e culturali diversi; - sono in grado di verificare, scegliere e utilizzare strumenti, fonti e dati utili a formulare un loro punto di vista, personale e autonomo, su questioni attuali che concernono i rapporti tra scienza e società.

 

Course contents

Nature, technology, society

After an introduction to science and technology studies (STS), we will conduct long-term investigations of certain aspects of the interactions between nature and technology that have characterized human social and cultural evolution since at least the Neolithic.

We will focus on the last century and a half, from the second industrial revolution of the Liberal/Victorian age when the shift began from a steam civilization to an electricity one, in a time of Anthropocene and I.A. technologies.

From February 3, 2021:

Monday 13-15 (room D, 34);

Tuesday 11-13 (room D, Centotrecento);

Wednesday 13-15 (room C, 34)

Readings/Bibliography

The program is the same for attending and non attending students, including students of the Erasmus program.

1. Texts [150 pp. c.], films, and PowerPoints posted (during the course) on the e-learning platform;

2. Luciano Floridi, The Fourth Revolution: How the Infosphere is Reshaping Human Reality, Oxford UP, 2014.

4. P. Govoni, Che cos’è la storia della scienza, Roma, Carocci, 2019 [new enlarged ed.].

Teaching methods

Face-to-face lessons and in-depth seminars; visit to a museum where we will analyze the communicational strategies used to narrate the role of science and technology in the social and economic development of the area.

Students' participation in the classroom is of great importance in this course. Group discussion and inquiry-based learning will be encouraged.

For this reason, students will be given the opportunity- individually or in small groups - to organize presentations on the topics covered by the course, in agreement with the professor. Up to 5 points can be earned by delivering an in-class presentation.

Towards the end of the course, students will be able to take a short written exam on what they observed at the museum and discussed in class.

They will be able to earn up to 5 points with the in itinere exam, which will be added to their exam scores.

Assessment methods

Oral exam: this consists of three questions, stemming from a freely chosen topic.

Students will be tested on their knowledge of the course’s bibliography, as well as on their ability to reason in a logical, concise and personal way.

The accuracy and precision of the student’s way of expression will also be taken in consideration.

For further information, please consult my teaching website and the educational guidelines here (Regolamento didattico).

Teaching tools

PowerPoint; e-learning tools; science museums.

Office hours

See the website of Paola Govoni