Syllabus 2010/2011 GEMA50

Syllabus academic year 2010/2011
(Created 2010-07-25.)

HISTORY OF TECHNOLOGY

GEMA50

Credits: 4,5. Grading scale: TH. Cycle: G1 (First Cycle). Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish. GEMA50 overlaps following cours/es: TNX160. Optional for: A3, B4, BI2, C4, D4, E2, F2, I4, ID5, K4, KID1, L4, M4, MD4, MID1, N2, Pi4, RH4, V4, W3. Course coordinator: Universitetslektor Lars Olsson, lars.olsson@es.lth.se, Electrical and Information Technology. Assessment: For grade 3 (pass), attendance of at least 75% of lectures and seminars, and a written meditative essay based on each of these, are required. For grades 4 and 5 an additional individual study has to be presented in writing and orally. Further information: Lectures and seminars are given mainly on Wednesday evenings during the entire autumn semester. Home page: http://www.eit.lth.se/course/gema50.

Aim
The objective of this course, is to give insight in and understanding for possibilities and limitations in todays, and future, social and natural science, and technology, through examples from the history of both science and various branches of technology. In the course, the technical development is linked to the conditions for human life and the development of society in a wide sense as well as the, thus several areas of science are integrated.

Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must

have achieved an understanding for how human technology has arrived at todays usage

Skills and abilities
For a passing grade the student must

have trained and acquired a skill to write meditative essays in a less technical style
be able to treat and structure new information intellectually in order to acquire mature knowledge

Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must

be knowledgeable enough to relate technical development to the historical course of the society and to understand their mutual interaction

Contents
Historical examples from various scientific areas, natural and social science and technology, are interwoven to yield a general overview and illustrate the development in the history of science and ideas. For this reason the course relies upon the participation of guest lecturers representing different disciplines.

Literature
Hansson S: Den skapande människan Om människan och tekniken under 5000 år. Studentlitteratur, Lund 2002. ISBN: 91-44-02148-8.
Nielsen K, Nielsen H, Jensen H S: Skruen uden ende - Den vestlige teknologis historie 3. udgave. Nyt Teknisk Forlag, Köpenhamn 2005. ISBN 87-571-2516-3.
Course handouts.