“I don't spend my time pontificating about high-concept things; I spend my time solving engineering and manufacturing problems.” -Elon Musk

            In this quote, Musk (who is famous for such visionary projects, including SpaceX and Tesla Motors) divides the world into two categories: the high-concept world of ideas and the nitty-gritty, day-to-day work of engineering.  To focus on one, he implies, requires ignoring the other.  In this class, we will question this assumption, asking instead how even the most basic feats of engineering are always wrapped up in dynamics of the social, political, and conceptual world.  Our goal will be to breakdown the artificial barriers between “technology” and “society,” favoring instead an image of an interconnected web of things, people, and ideas.

            The first half of the course is designed to offer a broad overview of concepts in STS, focusing specifically on social studies of technology.  Each week introduces different approaches and areas of focus that might frame your STS thesis.  The primary outcome of this course will be your Thesis Prospectus, in which you will articulate your technical and STS research project, and the questions both raise and aim to answer.

            By the end of the semester, you will be comfortable thinking like a social scientist.  We will collectively develop a new vocabulary, a new way to conceptualize the world, and a new way to ask questions.  Individually writing and group discussions will help you develop your “STS voice.” This voice will travel with you into the spring semester, as you expertly carry out the research project you design this semester. Beyond this year, I hope you will carry this STS way of thinking into your professional and personal life as an alternative and informative way of looking at the world.