Course Catalog 2024-2025

History of Science and Technology

HSC 207/ ENG 207 The Technology of Reading and Writing (4 Credits)

Offered as ENG 207 and HSC 207. An introductory exploration of the physical forms that knowledge and communication have taken in the West, from ancient oral cultures to modern print-literate culture. The main interest is in discovering how what is said and thought in a culture reflects its available kinds of literacy and media of communication. Discussions to include poetry and memory in oral cultures; the invention of writing; the invention of prose; literature and science in a manuscript culture; the coming of printing; changing concepts of publication, authorship, and originality; movements toward standardization in language; and the fundamentally transformative effects of electronic communication. {L}

Fall, Spring, Alternate Years

HSC 404 Special Studies (4 Credits)

Instructor permission required.

Fall, Spring, Annually