Course Description: The historical development of science is inseparable from the rise of industrial capitalism and Western modernity and so integral to any study of development, although the exact relationship between science, technology and Third World development has not been fully explored. Discussions tend to focus on the usual indicators of human capital and the Arab human development report, indicators that did not actually predict the recent revolutions in the Arab world. Industrialism itself needs to be picked apart because of its changing composition – the staple industries, Fordism and mass production, synthetics, lean production, biotechnology and, most importantly for us, the managerial and information revolutions. As for science and its critical role in advancing societies, popular misconceptions concerning its nature exist even in the West.Such mistaken notions include the exact methods employed by scientists, the supporting but separate role of technology, the philosophical and ideological baggage that comes with much scientific theory, and the supposed standoff between science and religion and society. In the ‘global south’ this is unforgivable because it retards development as much as lack of funding and the absence of a clear and effective legal and administrative framework for publication and collaborative research. This course aims to fill these gaps in our knowledge. Development will be discussed in its own right, at the more purely economic and sociological levels, but a more non-conventional approach to exploring the two-way relationship with science and technology is called for. And literature, with a special emphasis on science fiction, needs to be tackled as a barometer of how scientifically ‘literate’ a society is. Literature is a terrain where a society formulates its self-awareness, settles existential issues and tackles dilemmas stemming from scientific advance. Science fiction is the most modern of genres and the perennial literary domain where ‘developed’ countries deal with the promises and pitfalls of science and technology. The transition to capitalism and industrialism and the modern nation-state in Western history were all accompanied with the emergence of this genre. Something similar is happening in certain portions of the Third World, whereas the genre makeup of other portions has remained steadfastly the same, which demands investigation in itself.

Course devised by: Emad El-Din Aysha

Where your collaboration took place: American University in Cairo

When your collaboration took place: August 2011

TOPIC UNIT 1: Basics Concepts

Summary of Unit 1: Liberal Arts introduction, as well as STS and debate over definition of science fiction

Reading List Unit 1: “Politics and the English Language” (George Orwell), http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/orwell46.htm “In Praise of Illiteracy” (Hans Magnus Enzensberger), http://www.gardensofresistance.com/ed/illiteracy.html “Automaton Conformity”, Escape from Freedom (Erich Fromm) Selections from An Introduction to Science and Technology Studies (Sergio Sismondo)“The Uses of Literacy: Working Class Culture” (Raymond Williams)“On the definition of SF” (Philip K. Dick), http://www.philipkdickfans.com/frank/sf-letter.htm