Let’s Be Luddites

a Discovery Core Experience

BCORE 110 May be taken as either BCORE 110 (Natural Sciences), or BCORE 107 (Social Sciences)

About This Course

Is technology always good for society? When can problems be solved with technology and when does technology prevent important social changes?

The course will undertake discussion of the need for democratic oversight over science and technology through the lens modern challenges like the climate crisis and historical examples.

We will examine how “always 5-year away” technologies like autonomous electric cars and nuclear fusion distract and undermine critical responses to the transportation and energy needs that we face today. We will examine the Luddites who destroyed technology because it furthered exploitation of workers and how this parallels modern technology like workplace surveillance.

We will also discuss how politics influences what science gets done and what technologies are adopted on a wide scale.

What We’ll Be Doing

The course will be discussing how we assign value to technology and identify impacts of technology with a materialist lens. A key component of this course will be readings and in-class discussions with post-discussion reflection and follow-up assignments.

Professor Matthew Gliboff (He/Him/His)

School of Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics

About Professor Gliboff

Dr. Gliboff has been teaching at UWB and local community colleges since 2013. His teaching has included courses for physics majors, science majors and non-technical majors. His primary teaching goals are to help students build teamwork and technical communication and problem-solving skills, and to encourage students to become life-long learners.

Other interests include sustainability, feats of mechanical engineering and running long distances.

Contact

Location: UW2-304
Email: glib@uw.edu