Course detail

History and Philosophy of Technology

FIT-FITAcad. year: 2020/2021

The course "History and Philosophy of Technology" represents an introduction into the particular stages of development of the technology with respect to the surrounding cultural climate and the philosophical streams on the background of which these particular chapters of the history take place. The course deals also with the risk factors the civilization brings about, and suggestions are given how to overcome them.

Guarantor

ThMgr. Milan Klapetek

Department

Centre of Education and Counselling (ICV)

Learning outcomes of the course unit

The information transferred should provide the students with the knowledge of the amazing drama hidden behind an apparently cold and non-personal phenomenon of technology. The purpose is to establish links to the specific engineering subjects and to other branches of the culture.

Prerequisites

No prerequisite knowledge is called for.

Co-requisites

Not applicable.

Recommended optional programme components

Not applicable.

Literature

Lilley: Stroje a lidé v dějinách. Praha, 1973 (in Czech)
Jílek: Zrození velkých vynálezů. Praha, 1988 (in Czech)
Marshall: Po stopách lidského pokroku. Praha, 1932 (in Czech)
Bernal: Věda v dějinách. Praha, 1960 (in Czech)
Numford: Technika a civilizace. Praha, 1947 (in Czech)
Nový: Dějiny techniky v Československu do 18. století. Praha, 1974 (in Czech)

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

Not applicable.

Assesment methods and criteria linked to learning outcomes

Presence at the lectures with passing the test and furnishing a written work (approximately 2 pages of text, 500 - 1000 words).

Language of instruction

Czech, English

Work placements

Not applicable.

Aims

The target of the course is to instigate in the listener the awareness of glorious and many thousand years long history of the technology, and to give him/her the knowledge of relationships with the entity of human culture and the resulting ethical responsibility of any individual to whom technology should become a vocation.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme IT-BC-3 Bachelor's

    branch BIT , 2. year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective

  • Programme BIT Bachelor's, 2. year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective

  • Programme IT-MGR-2 Master's

    branch MBI , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MPV , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MGM , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MSK , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MIS , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MBS , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MIN , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MMI , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional
    branch MMM , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, compulsory-optional

  • Programme MITAI Master's

    specialization NADE , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NBIO , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NGRI , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NNET , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NVIZ , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NCPS , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NSEC , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NEMB , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NHPC , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NISD , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NIDE , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NISY , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NMAL , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NMAT , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NSEN , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NVER , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective
    specialization NSPE , any year of study, summer semester, 3 credits, elective

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hours, optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

ThMgr. Milan Klapetek

Syllabus

  • Since the earliest industry to megalithic constructions.
  • The antiquity and the Hellenistic science and technology
  • Medieval age - technology in the shade of cathedrals
  • Renaissance engineers - new image of the world
  • Long way to the steam engine
  • The industrial revolution in England
  • The meeting point between science and technology
  • The combustion engine, turbine and new potentials
  • Electrical energy from Thalet to Coulomb
  • Galvani and the others
  • The electromotoric principle comes into the world
  • The history of data transmission until the spark telegraphy
  • Inventors activities and the related ethical issues of today