For your final essay, I want you to write a historically-based, persuasive paper on the topic: “What should American science and technology policy look like in the 21st century?”
For this paper I would like you to make reference to topics, cultures, and “modes of science and technology” (e.g. “Babylonian,” “Hellenic,” etc.) from the entire course. This is a “comprehensive final” in that respect. You do not of course have to use everything in the course. But don’t base the paper on only the 1920th centuries, is what I am saying. I expect you to make references to cultures other than Western Europe and the United States (along with Western Europe and the United States).
Questions you might consider:
What kind of science and technology do we need in the 21st century?
What kind of social context would produce that kind of science and technology?
Are there examples of this in the past, both recent and far?
Are there examples from the past of social contexts that would not produce that kind of science and technology? (You can show knowledge by demonstration of the opposite e.g., “as this example illustrates, we could go the wrong way if we aren’t careful”)
The above are just guiding ideas, and do not need to be explicitly addressed in your essay if you want to go another way with it. I am happy to read a creative argument! Just make sure it addresses the main goal of this exam (showcasing knowledge).
REMEMBER: this is a historical essay! Yes, it is talking about the future. We can do that with history. But base it primarily in a discussion of the past. This is not meant to be a pure-opinion op-ed. The goal is for me to see that you have learned enough about this history that you can think about it synthetically not just as a recollection of facts, but as an active form of knowledge that you can apply to modern-day questions.
