A GLOBAL VISION FOR THE 2020 TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY COURSE

DOI: 10.14684/intertech.13.2014.25-28 From many corners of the world have come accusing fingers pointing to technological development as the source of a multitude of human problems. Admittedly, this has been and is a challenge to the engineering profession. The university technology and society course is an opportunity for educators to present a constructive view pointing to both the benefits and burdens that technological development brings to society and the responsibility of engineers to choose the best path forward. This paper assesses the impact this course has had on engineering and non-engineering students both past and present. Specific course topics might include: indigenous peoples and the environment, electronic media, weapons of mass destruction, energy production, genetically modified organisms, and climate change. The technology and society course is a great opportunity to pursue issues critical to all of life. Index Terms - Energy, environment, ethics, sustainable.