Georgia Tech Lorraine, European Campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology
Technology and Globalization: Historical Perspectives (HTS 4823RMZ)
Summer 2012
Course Syllabus
Instructor
Timothy Stoneman
School of History, Technology, and Society
tim.stoneman@hts.gatech.edu
The term “globalization” has become the keyword in the social sciences to
describe the monumental sets of changes that have taken place worldwide since the
collapse of communism and the end of the Cold War. New York Times journalist
Thomas Friedman, a significant public figure, argues that technology has been the driving
force of “Globalization 3.0.” Information technologies and the Internet have together
“flattened” the world in the early 21st century, creating a new web-based platform for
various forms of global collaboration that reinforce shifting geo-economics towards Asia
and threaten to erode American influence overseas.
The course examines the relationship between technology and the process of
globalization through historical case studies of four major global technologies in the 19th
and 20th centuries: electrical telegraphy, Fordist mass production, transoceanic shipping,
and satellite telecommunication. In each case, our goal will be to show the strengths and
limitations of the “flat world” thesis in explaining the actual workings of globalization.
Far from simply flattening the world, global technologies have had uneven effects
throughout modern history, integrating markets and societies around the world but also
enhancing opportunities for conflict, inequality, and exclusion.
Grading
Course assessment will be done on the basis of the following formula:
Class participation
Written assignments
Final projects
Midterm
Final
10%
10%
10%
35%
35%
Georgia Tech Lorraine is a serious academic program. Class attendance is required. Roll
will be taken daily. If possible, please let me know in advance if you cannot attend class.
Students may have two unexcused absences during the semester. Further unexcused
absences will result in the loss of half a letter grade. Students are expected to pay
attention and participate in class. Weekly written assignments must be typed and are due
by Friday at 6pm via T-Square. There will be no tests or assignments due on Tuesday (or
following a long weekend) and no unannounced quizzes. Students will make class
presentations during the final week of class on an aspect of technology and globalization,
either historical or contemporary. Topics must be selected by the midterm. The final
exam will cover the material since the midterm, except for main concepts covered in the
Introduction. Grading will be done on a letter basis and will be rounded up on the half
percentage point (i.e. 89.5% = A). Final grades will not be available until after the
Monday following the end of the exam period through Oscar (August 6).
Prerequisites and Requirements
This course has no prerequisites. It meets the social science elective requirement.
Honor Policy
Students are expected to abide by the Georgia Tech honor code. All infractions will be
handled through the Office of the Dean of Students and treated with the highest degree of
seriousness.
Reading Material
Required textbooks:
Tom Standage, The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the
Nineteenth Century’s On-line Pioneers (Walker, 2007)
Marc Levinson, The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the
World Economy Bigger (Princeton University Press, 2008)
Additional reading material will be made available on T-Square.
Course Schedule
The course will follow the following lecture and reading schedule:
Weeks 1-2
Weeks 3-4
Weeks 5-6
Weeks 7-8
Weeks 8-9
Weeks 10-11
Introduction
Telegraph
Mass Production
Shipping
Satellites
Projects and presentations
Special dates:
June 13
June 20
July 4
June 30-August 2
No Class (Field Trip)
Midterm Exam
Field Trip (No Class)
Final Exams