History of Technology

• Assess the relationship between a historical age and the technology in that age
• Exemplify elements of the complex interactions between technology, culture, economy, knowledge and society over time
• Apply historical methods and identify which school of thought in the history of technology a method belongs to
• Quickly scan large amounts of information and identify the central arguments contained in books and articles on the History of Technology
• Identify strong and weak points in the argumentation in presentations of history
• Formulate the relationship between information and interpretation in a historical text or other source material
• Apply sources, source criticism and academic referencing techniques
• Present the above in written and oral form, structured and well-argued
• Analyze a historical issue
• Select a technically related historical issue to be analyzed in an essay. Identify pertinent questions to be answered. Select and critically compare sources related to this issue. Present the analysis and conclusion clearly and to the point

An overview of important technological developments from ancient times until today is addressed through lectures, articles, film, historical artefacts, student exercises and presentations as well as trips to exhibitions and historical sites.
This is supplemented with further analysis of various themes which may include the relationship between technology and science, everyday technology, war and technology, medicine and the body, sustainability, users as well as industry. Topics span from power sources over work and industry, the influence of natural resources on the development of technology to technology and knowledge transfer, systems engineering and technical innovation processes.

Min. two years of study or 42610/42611 Theory of Engineering Science or equivalent course.

Lectures, presentations, project work and excursions.

This course requires students to work with complicated arguments, read long texts, and to express themselves in a sophisticated way orally and in writing. It is only recommended to students with (1) a good command of the English language or (2) a good command of Danish and the ability to understand written or orally presented English.

Maximum: 15.

Please be aware that this course has a limited number of seats available. If there are too many applicants, a pool will be created for the remainder of the qualified applicants, and they will be selected at random. You will be informed 8 days before the start of the course, whether you have been allocated a spot.