HIST4235 - History of Technology

Engineer/designer I.K. Brunel

Dr. Brian Regal

Professor for the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine

Department of History, LHAC 212

email: bregal@kean.edu

Course Description:

A social and intellectual history of machines, their inventors, and the industrial revolutions which have transformed world societies with increasing power since the end of the Middle Ages.  Extensive investigations of conditions for technological innovations such as war and commerce will be made.

Course Objectives:

Students will gain a familiarity with the history of technology.  They will learn to apply various methodologies of historical research to the study of the history of machines.  Students will show their expertise through a series of examinations and written research projects on the topic.

• Syllabus (NOTE: the syllabus is not yet available as this course is currently being rewritten).

Required Reading:

• Chinese clock technology article

• Brunel and British Engineering

Additional Reading and Sources:

•  What is artificial Intelligence (AI)?
https://meng.uic.edu/news-stories/ai-artificial-intelligence-what-is-the-definition-of-ai-and-how-does-ai-work/#:~:text=Artificial%20Intelligence%20(AI)%20works%20by,%2C%20perception%2C%20and%20language%20understanding.

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On-Line resources:

Madrid Codex (1493), Da Vinci notebook of technical drawings, fascinating

http://leonardo.bne.es/index.html

Radio and television history resource:

The David Sarnoff Library http://www.davidsarnoff.org/

All things Thomas Edison:

The Edison Papers http://edison.rutgers.edu/

Source for historical scientific instruments:

Museum of the History of Science, Oxford University

http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/

• Kean University Department of History Main Page