Stevens Institute of Technology
College of Arts & Letters
Program in History

SPRING 2009
Section 130B: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10-10.50 am
Classroom: Pierce 220
Section 130C: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 11-11.50 am
Classroom: Pierce 220 (Mon and Weds); Babbio 203 (Thurs)

Link to Schedule, Reading List, and Assignments

Course Description and Goals:  

This course surveys the history of science and technology from the Old Stone Age to the 21st Century. Several themes guide our inquiry: the historical relations between science and technology, conditions promoting the rise of science in different civilizations, the emergence of Europe as a scientific and technological power, the appearance of the modern world view beginning with the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, and a sequence of Industrial Revolutions that began in the 18th century and continued in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.

This course seeks to advance the mission of the College of Arts & Letters in the following ways:

• Promote ethical responsibility and awareness of the societal impact of one’s future profession.
• Increase awareness of cultures and societies other than one’s own.
• Improve writing and/or public speaking skills.
• Increase one’s love of learning for its own sake.

• Discuss the historical development of the contemporary world
• Debate connections between science and technology
• Understand how science and technology fit into different social, political, economic, and cultural contexts
• Apply historical concepts to analyze current and future scenarios

Textbook to purchase:

James E. McClellan III & Harold Dorn, Science and Technology in World History: An Introduction, Second Edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006.
ISBN: 0801883598

Humanities Resource Center:

If you want assistance writing your papers, you should ask for help well ahead of the paper's due date. For more information, visit http://www.stevens.edu/wci.

Honor Board Policies:

You should by now be familiar with The Honor System at the Stevens Institute of Technology. It is your responsibility to uphold the ideals set forth in the Honor System Constitution. Specific student responsibilities include:

• Maintaining honesty and fair play in all aspects of academic life at Stevens;
• Writing and signing the pledge, in full, on all submitted academic work;
• Reporting any suspected violations to an Honor Board member or to the Dean of Student Development;
• Cooperating with the Honor Board during investigations and hearings.

If you ever have questions about how to interpret this honor system in relation to your work in my class, please get in touch with me.

Students with disabilities:

If you require special accommodations due to a disability, or if you need individual arrangements should the building be evacuated, you must inform the office of Student Counseling and Psychological Services, Dr. Terence Hannigan, Director, in the Howe Center, 7th floor (x5177), and complete the Faculty Contact Form. Once you have done so, you should ask to meet with me so that we can work out any special arrangements that may be necessary.

Grades and Course Policies:  

Attendance is mandatory. Any absences must be accounted for by notifying me before the start of class. Otherwise I will need verification from an outside authority (i.e., doctor, coach, another professor) explaining why it was necessary for you to miss class. Cell phones should either be turned off or silenced. Computers can be used for note-taking purposes only. Any students in violation of these simple rules will be marked as absent for that particular class.

Grades will be based on the following criteria:

• class participation (including attendance and activity in discussions) (20%)
• one in-class oral report (keys for delivering a successful oral report) (10%)
• essay assignments (25%)
• mid-term exam (20%)
• final exam (25%)

Percentages are approximate. I will determine final weights at the end of the course. I reserve the right to give pop quizzes.

Link to Schedule, Reading List, and Assignments