STS.050 The History of MIT

HASS-H, 3-0-9 units, Prereq: None

Spring 2015 schedule
Lectures: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00 – 2:00 pm
Recitations: Tuesdays at 2pm or Thursdays at 4pm or “1916 Recitation Section” with time TBD

Instructor: Dr. Deborah Douglas, Director of Collections, MIT Museum

“MIT is…(fill in the blank)….”

How many times have you attempted to describe MIT? How do you fill in the blank? What do you wish you knew about the Institute?  The short description for this course, suggests a simple (albeit fascinating!) effort to survey MIT’s history from its founding to the present day. As you have probably discovered, MIT is not a simple place. To study MIT is to study the modern world. This course, then, is about discovery, exploration, adventure, about learning, creative thinking, and the synthesis of big ideas. It is about the importance of the research university: what it has been in the past and what it will be in the future.

When writing down his vision for MIT, charismatic founder and education pioneer William Barton Rogers wrote this in his 1860 “Objects and Plan”

“The practical nature of the discoveries in chemistry, mechanics, geology, and other branches of scientific inquiry, has multiplied almost infinitely the lines of connection between them and the processes of the Workshop, the Manufactory, and the Farm, and of the Constructive and Locomotive Arts; and these countless connecting threads, woven into one indissoluble texture, form that ever-enlarging web which is the blended product of the world’s scientific and industrial activity.” (emphasis added)

Through readings, videos, discussions, lectures, special guest talks and hands-on opportunities, you will explore MIT like few others have. You will take up Rogers’ challenge to weave together countless connecting threads.

This class has been steadily evolving since first taught in 2010. This year there will be some important changes. We will meet twice a week plus a recitation. One session will be for lectures and all-class presentations. The second session will involve guest speakers. We will use the recitation sections for discussion and on-campus “field trips.”Â

Assignments will be changing too. You will be asked to write a short reflection paper most weeks (8 total) that helps you think about the readings, videos and lectures. There will be two more substantial exercises. The first will be a document or artifact report that relates to some aspect of MIT history before 1920 (basically MIT’s Boston period). The second exercise could be a paper or a project that covers some aspect of MIT history since 1920 that interests you. (Students have studied on everything from pageants and protests to biology and ice hockey!)

This spring there will be a special opportunity for interested students. In 2016 MIT will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s move from Boston to Cambridge. On the first day of class, interested students will be invited to apply for one of 5 slots in the “1916 Recitation Section.” These students will not attend the regular recitation but will meet separately with the instructor and will develop projects that can be used by MIT as part of the Centennial Celebration. For example, students might decide to work on a video, museum exhibition or other project. This project will replace the two long paper assignments completed by the rest of the class. If you have a strong interest in STS and/or MIT history, this will be an exceptional opportunity to complete original work that will receive widespread attention.

The most important prerequisite for this class is curiosity, a desire to think deeply about MIT, and a willingness to communicate your thoughts and ideas with your classmates. The ultimate aim is to fascinate you as much as to help you improve your skills synthesizing information from diverse sources about science, technology, and culture.