History final exam

Student Name: __________________________________________

HIST 285, Technology in Historical Perspective – Spring 2015

History Department, Drexel University

Professor Lloyd Ackert

Final Examination

Follow these instructions carefully – I will be grading, in part, how well you follow the directions for formatting and submitting your exam!

Instructions: ** Do NOT delete any of the instructions or questions. **

Type your name in the space provided above.

This is an open-book exam. Feel free to use the assigned readings, lecture outlines, and notes. Do not use outside sources (like online encyclopedias) – they will lead you astray and weaken your answers. I will be looking for answers that come from the assigned readings and lectures.

Work on the exam alone.

In your essay make sure to relate specific details from the lectures and readings to the broader themes of the history of technology. If you quote directly from the course materials, you need to cite the source, for example (Misa, pg. 255). You do not need to cite the lecture material.

Type your answers in the space DIRECTLY BELOW the question you are answering. Use the same font type, size, and color.

DUE DATE: Please upload your completed exam through the Turnitin Icon on the course website by Thursday, June 11th. (Let me know if you need more time.) If you have troubles uploading your exam, please email it to me and write the line: “HIST285 – Final Exam” in the subject line of your email.

Part I. Short answer. Select THREE of the following and 1) describe the topic (5 Points) and 2) state clearly how/why the item is important to the history of technology (5 Points). (at least 100 words — 10 Points total for each)

1. Elementarism

2. The “ironies of modernism”

3. Pentagon capitalism

4. Scientific mass-labor

5. U-235

6. Iroquois Theater Fire

Part II. Essay Questions.

Group A

A. Select ONE question from Group A and write an essay answering it as completely as possible. Use specific examples from the course. (at least 250 words — 20 points.)

6. Thomas Edison serves as an example of a major transition in the history of technology. Describe this transition and his role in it.

7. Why is the “Physicist’s Fable” an incomplete story?

8. Discuss TWO of the components of the stabilization of large-scale technological systems in the United States between 1880-1930?

Group B

B. Select ONE question from Group B and write an essay answering it as completely as possible. Use specific examples from the course. (at least 250 words — 20 points.)

9. Why is World War I referred to as the ‘Chemists’ War,’ and World War II referred to as the ‘Physicists’ War?’

10. How did the development of technology in the United States during the era of the “military-industrial complex” differ from that during the “industrial revolution”?

11. What is the ‘logic of war’ and how does it relate to the history of technology in the 20th century?

Part III. Technological Fundamentalism (at least 250 words – 20 Points)

12. A principal American contribution to the modern style, Misa argues, included the “General Motors pavilion, which linked science, rationalization, and progress through technology.” (Misa, p. 184) The “World of Tomorrow” (1939) film that we watched in class portrays a future utopian society made possible by developments in technology. On the other hand, “The Day After Trinity” offers a different perspective of a society immersed in technology. In your opinion, do you believe that social progress is necessarily linked to technological development? Can you think of any examples where a specific technological development has actually exerted a negative impact upon society?

Part IV. Student Group Presentations – “Information Literacy”. (at least 150 words — 10 Points)

13. Select two of the Student Presentations (In-Class or Online). Compare how these students investigated and communicated their history projects (consider the questions they asked/posed, the sources they used, and their final assessments or answers of their topic). In your essay, make sure to provide direct references to the presentations.

Student

Name:

__________________________________________