Technology and Change in Rural America

Photo of tractor and plow, in front of oxen pulling a plow.

The old and the new: a tractor and plow, in front of a pair of oxen pulling a plow. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-55902.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

STS.428

As Taught In

Fall 2004

Level

Graduate

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Course Description

Course Description

This course considers the historical dimensions of rural production from subsistence to industrialization, both in America and in an international context, with an emphasis on the role of science and technology. Topics include changing notions of progress; emergence of genetics and its complex applications to food production; mechanization of both farm practices and the food industry; role of migrant labor; management theory and its impact on farm practice; role of federal governments and NGOs in production systems; women in food production systems; and the green revolution.

Related Content

Deborah Fitzgerald. STS.428 Technology and Change in Rural America. Fall 2004. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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