Understand the impact of technology on sustainability and society, using relevant historical examples and current issues in the news, and gain insight on the cultural frameworks within which ideas such as sustainability and different technologies are understood and evolve.

You’ll also explore emerging technologies from the Industrial Revolution through present day, leading to a future that will be complex and challenging, and in many ways look like science fiction.

What you’ll learn

• The importance of technology and technological systems.
• The social and environmental implications of design, construction, operation, and management of technology systems.
• The critical principles of complexity and complex systems.
• How art, cinema, literature, and other cultural products create the ground from which technological systems emerge, and affect the evolutionary paths of technological systems; and how they are in turn affected by those technological systems.
• The economic, environmental, social, cultural, philosophic, and religious issues and impacts associated with technology systems and emerging technologies at a broad cultural and geographic level extending across urban, regional, national, and global scales.

What to expect in class

Video lectures, readings, writing assignments, discussions, live meetings with the instructor, quizzes, and midterm and final exams.

Exams and grading

• 20% - Quizzes (7)
• 10% - Content Mastery (7)
• 30% - Midterm Exam
• 40% - Final Exam