HST 390 Anthropology of Technology
This course will examine different technologies and scientific developments through the lens of cultural anthropology. Each time the course is taught, the focus will be on how technology affects one of the different aspects of American culture, with topics possibly including: love and kinship; sports and games; death and mourning; work, labor, and money; food and fashion; and language and communication. The course will focus on different global and local subcultures within the US, examining how different groups use and integrate the same technologies. Students will become familiar with anthropological concepts and theory. They will be introduced to the ethnographic method and qualitative analysis of social phenomena, collaborating in small groups to produce an ethnographic research project.