STS.050 | Spring 2011 | Undergraduate

The History of MIT

Course Description

This course examines the history of MIT through the lens of the broader history of science and technology, and vice versa. The course covers the founding of MIT in 1861 and goes through the present, including such topics as William Barton Rogers, educational philosophy, biographies of MIT students and professors, …
This course examines the history of MIT through the lens of the broader history of science and technology, and vice versa. The course covers the founding of MIT in 1861 and goes through the present, including such topics as William Barton Rogers, educational philosophy, biographies of MIT students and professors, intellectual and organizational development, the role of science, changing laboratories and practices, and MIT’s relationship with Boston, the federal government, and industry. Assignments include short papers, presentations, and final paper. A number of classes are concurrent with the MIT150 Symposia.
Learning Resource Types
Lecture Videos
Written Assignments
A photograph of the Stata Center at MIT, with a red sculpture in the foreground.
The Stata Center at MIT. (Disney or MIT?, bettlebox on Flickr. CC-BY-NC-SA.)