STS.036 Technology and Nature in American History
This course considers how the visual and material world of "nature" has been reshaped by industrial practices, ideologies, and institutions, particularly in 19th and 20th century America. Topics include land-use patterns; the changing shape of cities and farms; the redesign of water systems; the construction of roads, dams, bridges, irrigation systems; the creation of national parks; ideas about wilderness; and the role of nature in an industrial world. More information on this course is available through MIT's OpenCourseWare.
STS.049J Technology and Gender in American History
This course centers on the changing relationships between men, women, and technology in American history. Topics include theories of gender, technologies of production and consumption, the gendering of public and private space, men's and women's roles in science and technology, the effects of industrialization on sexual divisions of labor, gender and identity at home and at work. More information on this course is available through MIT's OpenCourseWare.
STS.088 Food, Culture, and History
"Food, Culture, and History" considers the ways and means by which the foods we eat have changed since the mid-19th century, and the reasons for its transformations. Focuses on the role of technology and science. Topics include agriculture and farming, fast food and slow food, effect of wars on food technologies, the food processing industry, restaurant culture, food taboos, diet and nutrition in culture, and the international food trade.
STS.428 Technology and Change in Rural America
This course considers the historical dimensions of rural production from subsistence to industrialization, both in America and in an international context, with an emphasis on the role of science and technology. Topics include changing notions of progress; emergence of genetics and its complex applications to food production; mechanization of both farm practices and the food industry; role of migrant labor; management theory and its impact on farm practice; role of federal governments and NGOs in production systems; women in food production systems; and the green revolution. More information on this course is available through MIT's OpenCourseWare.
STS.429 Food and Power in the Twentieth Century
"Food and Power" focuses on the historical analysis of food production, processing, and consumption in America. Emphasis on the social and technical practices of raising crops and livestock; efforts to preserve as well as create new foods; the industrialization of food; the role of ethnicity and gender in consumption patterns; the relation between food supply and the state; the historical and cultural context of eating. More information on this course is available through MIT's OpenCourseWare.
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School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
MIT
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