Description
This course critically explores plural histories of technology through the combined lenses of Western philosophical thought and Indigenous and decolonial epistemologies. Students will analyze primary texts, scholarly articles, as well as consider contemporary and historical artefacts and processes as case studies. Through written assignments and class discussions students will assess the strengths and limitations of key Western concepts and theory in comparison with figures and traditions of thought and practice that challenge Western conceptions of technics, and they will consider the significance of each to current technological and cultural developments. Emphasis will be placed on fostering dialogue and critical reflection on the implications of different cultural and philosophical perspectives for contemporary debates around technology. By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of the complex interactions between technological development and di