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This calendar provides the course's lecture topics, readings, and assignment due dates. While the first half of the course is focused on lectures, a significant portion of the second half is devoted to in-class group work, where students are divided into groups to work on term projects.
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| SES # | | | | TOPICS / READINGS | |
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| | I. Introduction and Background | | | | | | | 1 | | | | Introduction, Course Overview | | | | | | | II. Engineers in Action | | | | | | | 2 | | | | Reading: Latour, Bruno. Science in Action. Introduction, and chapter 3, pp. 1-17 and 103-144. | | | | | | | | | 3 | | | | Reading: Latour, Bruno. Science in Action. Chapters 4-6, pp. 145-259. | | | | | | | III. The Construction of Technological Systems | | | | | | | 4 | | | | Reading: Mindell. "Opening Black's Box: Rethinking Feedback's Myth of Origin." | | | | | | | IV. Invention and Engineering Culture | | | | | | | 5 | | | | Reading: MacKenzie, Donald. Inventing Accuracy. Chapters 1-2. | | | | | | | | | 6 | | | | Reading: MacKenzie, Donald. Inventing Accuracy. Chapters 4, 7, and 8.
Assignment Due: Response Paper #1 | | | | | | | V. Innovation and Marketplace | | | | | | | 7 | | | | Reading: Christensen, Clayton M. The Inventor's Dilemma. Chapters 1, 2, 4, 9, and 11. | | | | | | | | | 8 | | | | Reading: Discussion of Methodology, Research Methods, Library, Techniques, Source Materials, etc. | | | | | | | VI. Using Sources Effectively | | | | | | | 9 | | | | Lab Notebooks and Project Documentation: Meet in MIT Archives, Introduction to Edgerton/Forrester Notebooks
Assignment Due: Response Paper #2 | | | | | | | VII. Group Work and Collaborative Writing | | | | | | | 10 | | | | Presentation: "Working Effectively in Groups." In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 11 | | | | In-Class Group Work, Presentation of Project History Proposals, Discussion and Ranking
Assignment Due: Individual Project History Proposals | | | | | | | VIII. Project History Work | | | | | | | 12 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 13 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | IX. Visual Materials and Argumentation | | | | | | | 14 | | | | Reading: Tufte, Edward. Visual and Statistical Thinking. | | | | | | | | | 15 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | X. Understanding Patents | | | | | | | 16 | | | | Presentation: "How to Read a Patent." In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 17 | | | | In-Class Group Work
Assignment Due: Visual Argumentation Exercise | | | | | | | XI. Project Histories | | | | | | | 18 | | | | In-Class Group Work
Assignment Due: Group Proposal/Plan of Project History | | | | | | | | | 19 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 20 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 21 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | | | 22 | | | | In-Class Group Work | | | | | | | XII. Final Preparations | | | | | | | 23 | | | | Presentation Rehearsals | | | | | | | | | 24 | | | | Presentation Rehearsals
Assignment Due: Written Draft for Groups Presenting | | | | | | | XIII. Presentations of Project Histories | | | | | | | 25 | | | | Group Presentation of Project Histories | | | | | | | | | 26 | | | | Group Presentation of Project Histories | | | | |
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Final Projects due two days after the last session.