This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

Lecture Notes

This section features lecture outlines which include background information on the authors and questions about their arguments. Please note: outlines are not available for all the lectures.

LEC # TOPICS OUTLINES
Introductory Themes
1 Introduction  
2 Theories of Technology and Culture (PDF)
Theme 1: Biology and Biotechnology
3 Technologies of Sex and Gender: Reproduction, Birth, Risk  
4 Technologies of Race: Medical Experimentation (PDF)
5 Technologies of Death: Risk and the Biopolitics of Radiation (PDF)
6 Genetically Modified Food  
Theme 2: Computers and Information Technologies
7 Sociologies of Computing (PDF)
8 From Artificial Intelligence to Artificial Life  
9 Our Machines, Our Music: From White Noise to Black Noise (PDF)
Theme 3: Technological Infrastructure and Social Forms
10 Infrastructure (PDF)
11 Trains, Automobiles, Organs (PDF)
12 Student Paper Presentations  
13 Party and Student Paper Presentations