University of Toronto
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

HPS284S

Spring 1997

History of North American Technology

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[Tutorial Schedule] [Course Outline] [Course Notes]
Engineers pride themselves on their "technological literacy". They are right if this phrase is taken to mean knowledge of the materials and design of the products and processes that form the basis for our industrial society. But in another sense it means the ability to understand the cultural factors in the social environment that set the parameters for the design process and are themselves affected by it. This is an area where we generally are "technologically illiterate" and can less and less afford to be so in the future if we want to be good engineers. A better understanding of the history of technology can lay some of the groundwork for achieving this aim.

This course is about selected portions of the history of North American technology and engineering. Its intention is to get students to begin asking questions about the nature of technology, the distinctiveness of American and Canadian technology, and the development of technology over time. There will also be some discussion of the the development of the profession of engineering in its modern form, so that students can acquire a better consciousness of the problems and achievements of their chosen career.

Instructor

Janis Langins
IHPST, Room 310 Victoria College (Queen's Park Crescent, Northeast Section).
Telephone: 978-4950; Messages 978-5047; email:jlangins@chass.utoronto.ca.
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00-12:00, Room 310, Victoria College. Meetings at other times can be arranged by calling my office.

Teaching Assistants

Mark Hughes and Steve Walton
IHPST, Room 304 Victoria College
Phone: 978-7432 Email: mhughes@chass.utoronto.ca and swalton@chass.utoronto.ca

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Course Requirements

Examinations

Mid-term test (in class on Feb. 13): 50 minutes, no aids permitted, some choice.
Value: 15% of the total course grade.

Final Exam (precise date to be announced later by Faculty Office): 2.5 hours, no aids permitted, some choice.
Value: 50% of total course grade.

Tutorials

Tutorial sections meet every week as indicated on the schedule below. Students are encouraged to use the tutorials as an opportunity to bring up questions about the lectures. They will also be expected to study a short reading (from a collection of photocopies that will be on reserve in the Engineering Library) and prepare to discuss it in class by writing a short essay about it (not more than 500 words, amounting to not more than two double-spaced typewritten pages). These mini-essays (eight over the whole term) will be collected and marked. The value of the tutorial mark will be 35% of the total course grade: each essay will be worth 5% (with the three lowest marks dropped from the final computation for a total of 25%) and a mark of 10% for participation will also be allotted at the end of the course. In order to spread work evenly over the term and to minimize last minute overload, there will be no major final essay. You are expected to write your mini-essays in understandable, grammatical, and clear English. The tutorial constitutes an important part of the course, and the mini-essays are intended to develop your writing and thinking skills. In your future working life you will often be asked to put down your ideas on paper and the ability to do this clearly, quickly, and briefly is a very valuable attribute of any engineer. There are no easy ways or magic tricks to acquire this skill; it only comes through sweat and practice. As an aid to the basic rules of grammar and style, I recommend the short (85 pages), useful, and enjoyable book by William Strunk, Jr. and E. B. White, The Elements of Style, 3rd edition (New York, 1979).

List of Tutorial Readings
Jan. 8First tutorial replaced with supplementary lecture. Everyone please go to Wallberg 219 during the hour of your assigned tutorial.
Jan. 15Introductory Tutorial. No readings.
Jan. 22Reading: Rosenberg, Nathan and Birdzell, L.E., "Science, Technology and the Western Miracle", Scientific American, 263(November 1990), 42-54.
Jan. 29Discussion of writing techniques and common errors. No essay required. Please re-read handout on reading and writing.
Feb. 5Reading: 1)F.W. Taylor, The Principles of Scientific Management (excerpts) and
2) Malcom Keir, "Scientific Management and Socialism", both in Carroll Pursell, Jr., ed., Readings in Technology and American Life (New York: Oxford University Press, 1969).
Feb. 12Review Tutorial. No assigned readings.
Feb. 13MID-TERM TEST
Feb. 17-21READING WEEK. Lectures and Tutorials Cancelled
Feb. 26Reading: Hull, James, "The Second Industrial Revolution and the Staples Theory", Scientia Canadensis, 18(1994), 22-37.
Mar. 5Reading: 1) Rabkin, Yakov M. and Lévi-Lloyd, J. Ann, "Technology and Two Cultures: One Hundred Years of Engineering Education in Montreal", Minerva, 22(1984), 67-95, and
2) Gingras, Yves and Gagnon, Robert, "Engineering Education and Research in Montreal: Social Constraints and Opportunities", Minerva, 26(Spring 1988), 53-65.
Mar. 12Reading: Mark Clark, "Suppressing Innovation: Bell Laboratories and Magnetic Recording", Technology and Culture, 34(July 1993), 516-538.
Mar. 19Reading: Leonard Reich, "Irving Langmuir and the Pursuit of Science and Technology in the Corporate Environment", Technology and Culture, 24(April 1983), 199-221.
Mar. 26Reading: York, Herbert F., "Military Technology and National Security", Scientific American, 221(August 1969), 17-29.
Apr. 2Reading: Hecht, Gabrielle, "Political Designs: Nuclear Reactors and National Policy in Postwar France", Technology and Culture, 35(Oct 1994), 657-685.
Apr. 9Questions and Review. No assigned readings.
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Copyright © 1997 - IHPST & S.A.W. Last updated: 14i97 by S. Walton