2023 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
History of Technology C
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Toma Kawanishi
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Mon (W3-501(W351)) / 5-6 Thu (W3-501(W351))
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.T303
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2023
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 8, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course will examine the concept of "Gijutsu" (art, craft, technology) and related ideas from a historical perspective. The question of what art/technology is has been a subject of discussion since ancient times. This lecture aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the term by tracing its historical evolution. The goal is to encourage students to think about "technology" from a variety of perspectives and gain a deeper understanding of its meaning.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. Understand the dependence of our cognition on historical time and place
2. Understand the historical conditions of the emergence of Western technology through the lens of conceptual history
Keywords
Science, Applied Science, Technology, Innovation, Art
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The class will be given in a standard lecture style. Students will be required to submit comments or questions after the class. Each class starts with the lecturer's reviewing the comments.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | "techne" in antiquity, as seen in the Promethean myths | No requirements. |
| Class 2 | 'techne' in Plato | Reading course materials. |
| Class 3 | 'techne' in Aristotle | Reading course materials. |
| Class 4 | Translation to the Latin world: liberal and mechanical arts | Reading course materials. |
| Class 5 | The rise of the mechanical arts (1) Technological development in the Middle Ages and the Christian context | Reading course materials. |
| Class 6 | The rise of the mechanical arts (2) Medieval - early modern technological development and the beginning of craftsmen's self-assertion. | Reading course materials. |
| Class 7 | The 17th-century scientific revolution: the first confluence of science and art | Reading course materials. |
| Class 8 | Art in the Century of Enlightenment: with reference to the Encyclopaedia. | Reading course materials. |
| Class 9 | Reflections on the 'machine': Ure, Babbage, and Marx. | Reading course materials. |
| Class 10 | Making of the Technik: nineteenth-century German theorizing about technology. | Reading course materials. |
| Class 11 | From Technik to Technology, the 'semantic void' and the role of Thorstein Veblen. | Reading course materials. |
| Class 12 | The Japanese Case (1) From "Geijutus" to "Gijutsu" | Reading course materials. |
| Class 13 | The Japanese Case (2): The Coming of 'Kagaku-Gijutsu' (Technology) | Reading course materials. |
| Class 14 | Conflicting Images of Technology | No requirements. |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
not specified
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Eric Schatzberg. Technology: Critical History of a Concept. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press 2018)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Evaluation is based on the submission of forms before each session (20%) and a final report (80%). If you use a generative AI, like ChatGPT, in your report, please make sure to indicate this and support its accuracy with proper references.
Related courses
- LAH.T103 ： History of Technology A
- LAH.T203 ： History of Technology B
- LAH.S416 ： Essence of Humanities and Social Sciences16:History of Technology
Prerequisites
No prerequisites. Attendees should have an interest in philosophy, thought, and languages.
Contact information (e-mail and phone) Notice : Please replace from ”[at]” to ”@”(half-width character).
kawanishi.t.ac[at]m.titech.ac.jp