AK125V Technology and Society 4.0 credits

How do technology and society relate to each other? How is society influenced by technology, and how is technological development shaped by the way society is organised? How do people use technology to achieve aims that lie beyond the purely technical? In this course we learn to look at technology as something more than artifacts created by engineers. We will analyse technology in a socio-technical systems perspective and learn to see how inventions and material things interact with social and political values, societal institutions and environmental aspects.

This is an introductory course that is adapted to students who have not had much contact with the humanities and social sciences during their earlier studies but who feel a need to develop a deeper understanding of technology's societal impact and how the development and use of new technology are shaped by factors such as gender, race, political conviction and historical experience. You will also learn to read texts in a critical way and discover social and political aspects of technology in written documents.

After passing the course, the student should be able to:

Give an account of some basic aspects of technological development from a societal perspective

Discuss how inventions and material things interact with social and political values, the organisation of society and environmental aspects

Critically review narratives about technological development

None

If the course is discontinued, students may request to be examined during the following two academic years.

• INL1 - Assignment work, 4.0 credits, grading scale: P, F

Based on recommendation from KTH’s coordinator for disabilities, the examiner will decide how to adapt an examination for students with documented disability.

The examiner may apply another examination format when re-examining individual students.

Per Högselius

• All members of a group are responsible for the group's work.
• In any assessment, every student shall honestly disclose any help received and sources used.
• In an oral assessment, every student shall be able to present and answer questions about the entire assignment and solution.