STS.050 THE HISTORY OF MIT
Spring 2019
HASS-H 3-0-9
Tues 1-2, Thurs 1-3
Deborah Douglas, PhD
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Students who pre-registered for the class are guaranteed a spot as long as they come to the first day of class. If more than 20 students are interested in the class, priority will be given to seniors, and then to students minoring or concentrating in STS. Students asking to enroll in this class should know that attendance is essential as this class involves participating in several workshops and campus symposia during the class period. If you foresee missing any class time, please discuss the circumstances with Dr. Douglas before registering for the class.
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“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 is about people. It is about discovery, exploration, adventure, learning, and the synthesis of big ideas. It is about the inflection points and the every day interactions of one creative community in New England whose influence extends around the world and into the universe beyond. And, 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 spring, STS.050 will make some important changes in organization and content. First, the class size has been limited to 20 students. It will meet twice a week: Tuesdays from 1-2 and Thursdays from 1-3. There is no recitation.
This year I have two major goals for the class: First, is to introduce significantly more hands-on participatory experiences. For example, it is likely you will have an opportunity to do a workshop in the Edgerton Center and Glass Lab; you will take part in an art installation in Killian Court; and more, in addition to serious workshops at the Institute Archives and MIT Museum. Second, we will shift to more projects and presentations and a fewer writing assignments. There will still be some reading reflection papers but half as many as previous years. The class may be asked to embrace some of the sprint methodology of the Agile project management method.
In preparing the syllabus for the class, I will leave some intentional gaps. During the first week, the class will help shape the final schedule by agreeing of what “special” topics are of greatest interest to you. You will be invited to help define some of the assignments as well.
Your grade will be based on this work but participation will be vital. While the class is intentionally scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday, I know it is inevitable that there will be some conflicts. I will ask on the first day of class to identify those conflicts (from sports to graduate school interviews) so as to maximize your participation.
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.