University of Toronto
Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering

Institute for the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology

HPS282S

Spring 1998

History of Technology and Engineering

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[Tutorial Schedule] [Lecture Outline]
This course presents the history of technology and engineering from about 1700 onwards. Its aim is to help engineering students acquire a better understanding of their profession and the importance of its place in society today by showing how engineering and technology developed in the past. Technology was affected by social, economic, and intellectual factors more than most technologists and engineers suspect, while technology in turn influenced society, economics, and mentalities more than most historians have hitherto been willing to admit. By acquiring a knowledge of their past, engineers can more easily grasp their present situation and be prepared for the future.

The last three centuries have been extremely rich in the history of technology - so much so that it is virtually impossible to provide a comprehensive overview of this history. There will therefore inevitably be some selectivity in the material covered. The lecture material will be divided into roughly three equal parts: the social history of engineering, the history of energy, and the history of control of industrial processes, communication, and work.

Instructor

Your leader Janis Langins
IHPST, Room 310 Victoria College (Queen's Park Crescent, Northeast Section).
Telephone: 978-4950; email:jlangins@chass.utoronto.ca.
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00-Noon, Room 310, Victoria College.
Students wishing to arrange meetings at other times should not hesitate to call for an appointment.

Teaching Assistant

Your helper Marianne Stevens IHPST, Room 304 Victoria College
Phone: 978-7432 Email: fedunkiw@chass.utoronto.ca
Click on the envelopes to send us mail

Readings

A book of readings for the tutorials can be purchased at the University of Toronto Bookshop located at Victoria College.

Examinations

Tutorials

[Tutorial Schedule]

Tutorial sections meet every week as indicated on the schedule below. Students will be expected to study a short reading from their required text and prepare to discuss it in class by writing a short (not more than 500 words, amounting to two double-spaced typewritten pages) report about it. These mini-essays (eight over the whole term) will be collected, marked, and assigned a grade by the teaching assistant. The value of the tutorial mark will be 35% of the total course grade - 5% for each of your five best papers and 10% for participation in the tutorial.

Tutorials

In your professional lives you will be expected to read intelligently and communicate clearly, and one major purpose of the tutorials and mini-essays is to give you some practice in this essential engineering activity. You are expected to write understandable, grammatical, and clear English. To write well, it always helps to have something to write about. Read and reread your assignments carefully and actively. Attempt to identify the main points the authors are making, judge how well they back up these points with their arguments and facts, and continually ask yourself questions which the readings suggest to you. For your own paper, jot down an outline and present a clear and structured argument, not just a rehash of what the author said. Remember, much of your working life will consist of finding the meat of papers and projects and serving it up in palatable form to others. The only way to acquire this elusive skill is by constant practice.
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Copyright © 1998 - IHPST & S.A.W. Last updated: 14iv98 by S. Walton