NOTE: This is a repeat of a popular previously offered course.

Today students may be carrying more computing and communications power in their back pockets than was ever thought possible by their grandparents. We can see images on the internet hundreds of light years away. We control the environment inside our homes with a touch of a button. So many wondrous innovations surround us. So how did we get here? Let’s explore some of the basic innovations that make up part of our modern technology. What’s basic?

We’ll consider six fundamental areas of innovation covered in the text: Glass, Cold, Sound, Clean, Time and Light. By the end of this course, participants should have a basic understanding of the science applied in the various innovations discussed. Just as important is the interaction of people and these innovations as they work their way into daily life, and how these innovations have changed human behavior throughout society and our world view.

Format: Participants will read about 40 pages for each class. Each person will make a presentation on a particular innovation they choose and, with the assistance of the coordinator, lead a lively discussion. The presentation may be about a specific discovery that led to the innovation, about the historical background, or about how the innovation affected other developments and human behavior.

Resources/Expenses: The text, How We Got to Now: Six Innovations that Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson, is available used on Amazon for $1.57 and up. A list of additional resources will be provided.