Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2025 - HIST 111 D100

Histories of Technology (3)

Class Number: 3888

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 3 – Dec 2, 2025: Fri, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the social contexts and historical effects of major developments in technology such as industrialization and steam power; the construction of large techno-social systems like gas lighting and electrical grids; networks of scientific and enviro-technical experts; war industries; and cultures of "the bomb" during the nuclear age. Students with credit for HIST 363 cannot take HIST 111 for further credit. Breadth-Hum/Social Sci/Science.

COURSE DETAILS:

The course examines the history of technology from the industrial age [starting around the beginning of the 19th century] to today. Think of the course as a humanities/social-science perspective on technology: we look at technology for its social, political, and cultural effects and meaning, including how technology worked through and appeared in art, poetry, and music. Lectures and short readings emphasize stories of experiences with new technologies, and we draw widely from around the world for our sources and examples.

At times we will work hands-on with technologies of the past.  You will try out a practically ancient typewriter and remember what office work was like at the turn of the 20th century as societies bureaucratized (lit. became “ruled by desk”) and daily life more and more involved information processing.  I will challenge you to type your name, and you will be surprised how difficult it is.  In the history of the typewriter, we will find lessons about gender, class, work, and authoritarianism in the shaping of technology in social life.  We will look at printing presses on campus to help us wrap our minds around what made the press such a revolutionary invention and what daily life in “Gutenberg’s Galaxy” meant to world-historical dramas of social change.  How did people think and act differently just for living in books and newspapers all the time?  You will work with the cutting-edge data storage technology of the early 20th century that techno-utopians thought would create world peace and understanding: the 3x5 note-card.  We’ll have ChatGPT write sonnets for us, and we’ll be unsparing in our literary criticism of them.

 

Grading

  • Attendance and Participation (includes in-class writing) 25%
  • Learning Journal (A number of short – 2pg. double-spaced – reflection papers on course materials and in-class activities. We work with writing to help you find your voice. Writing mechanics are not emphasized.) 75%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

All readings will be available on the Canvas course page.


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Department Undergraduate Notes:

Learn more about studying History at SFU:

History areas of study


Why study History?

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.

To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit: 


RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION

Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.