From Leonardo to the Internet

The course provides a broad introduction to the relationships between technological change and socio-cultural development since the Renaissance in Western Europe. It is not a course about ancient techniques, but rather an attempt to discuss and analyse how societies and cultures have shaped technologies within companies, infrastructures and systems. Further, the relationship between religion, warfare, science and technology will be treated, alongside the history of engineering. The course also demonstrates how history of technology has evolved as a field of study.

The Students at this course are expected to meet the following learning objectives, divided into knowledge and skills:
Knowledge:
The student has
- a broad, overall knowledge about the relationships between technology, culture and society from the renaissance up until today in Western societies.
- an understanding of the place of technology in the development of 20th century Western societies.
- basic knowledge about the development of professional historiography within the field of history of technology.

Skills:
The student
- is able to reflect upon, discuss and present central problems in the history of technology
- is capable of analyzing historical data and literature on the history of technology, with the ability to draw conclusions based on these.

Lectures. Individual exercises.