This seminar is an introduction to some dimension of the history of a nation, region, people, culture, institution, or historical phenomenon selected by the respective instructor. Students will come to understand, and develop an appreciation for: the origins and evolution of the people, cultures, and/or political, economic, and/or social institutions of a particular region(s) of the world. They may explore how human encounters shaped individual and collective identities and the political, economic, and social orders of the region/nation/communities under study. Instructors prioritize critical reading, engaged participation, and focused writing assignments.

Who’s afraid of technology? From the contemporary “techlash” to AI doomerism and panic about ChatGPT and automation-induced unemployment, tech criticism seems as pervasive in today’s public sphere as it’s ever been. But is this discourse really so unprecedented? And where did our tech-critical vocabulary come from? This course will survey the intellectual history of modern philosophical and cultural critiques of technology, with an emphasis on critiques of computation, calculation, and technological rationality. Readings will include both contemporary historical works and canonical texts of technology criticism penned by philosophers, social theorists, historians, and activists.

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Requirements class fulfills