Given that society combines a poor ability to predict future technology with a good ability to forget poor past predictions, the author decided to create a course on "the history of future technology." The initial idea was to simply showcase a litany of failed technofuturist attempts and projects, and, in so doing, teach students to be…

The infamous "Sydney Tar Ponds" are well known as one of the largest toxic waste sites of Canada, due to almost 100 years of steelmaking in Sydney, a once beautiful and peaceful city located on the east side of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. This article begins with a contextual overview of the Tar Ponds issue including a brief…

Students from 25 nations and senior scientists examined ethical and social dimensions of decision making about science and technology during the 1985 Student Pugwash Conference on scientists' individual responsibilities. Working groups focused on toxic wastes, military uses of space, energy and poverty, genetic engineering, and individual rights.…

Many believe that dance is a democratizing force in academia. Modern dance history is replete with feminist, homosexual, and racial liberation ideologies transcribed through body language. Experiences in planning cross-discipline courses suggest that, without dance, important aesthetic and sociopolitical ideas most fully revealed in nonverbal and…

Described are the history, current status and future potential of hydroelectric power in the world. Issues discussed include the environmental and social impacts of dam construction, and the use of small-scale hydroelectric installations in developing nations. Also considered are hydroelectric development of the world's remote regions, the need to…

Technology, Society, and You is a six-week interdisciplinary unit in the ninth-grade English curriculum in a West Virginia junior high school. The focus is on the interaction between technology and the individual, the opportunities and problems associated with its use, and the role that humans can play in influencing its direction. (SK)

Small organizations have been forming in many European countries which provide direct links between university researchers and the general public. These organizations, which focus on research on social problems, have gained political and financial support. The development, operation, and activities of these organizations are discussed. (JN)

Reports the results of a Delphi survey of international experts on the future of telecommunications. Predicts new and expanding services that will be available over the next twenty years. Outlines space applications and advanced technology, regulatory and social issues, and institutional and economic issues which will characterize the field of…

Characterizes the Internet as a resource that contains both good and bad information. Provides a variety of educational websites, such as the National Council for the Social Studies home page, with accompanying descriptions in order to demonstrate that there are good resources that social studies teachers can utilize in their classrooms. (CMK)

The influx of modern technology in oil-rich but tradition-steeped countries has prompted the teaching of modern technology similar to that of industrialized countries. The problems due to the already existing level of technological knowledge and vastly different social patterns in these societies are illustrated and analyzed. (Author/MLW)

Provides quotes from people, both young and old, on the important issues that will be faced in the next century, ranging from the welfare of children to the eroding ideology of the United States. Includes five discussion questions based on these quotes. (CMK)

The Program on Science, Technology and Society (POSTS), directed toward understanding a technologically dependent civilization, aims to illuminate the interrelation of technology and culture by means of more effective communication between specialists in the natural, behavioral, and policy studies. This report contains short, substantive…

The Program on Science, Technology and Society (POSTS), directed toward understanding a technologically dependent civilizations, aims to illuminate the interrelation of technology and culture by means of more effective communication between specialists in the natural, behavioral, and policy studies. This report contains short, substantive…

The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences' Program on Science, Technology, and Society (POSTS) ended in August 1976. This fourth general report summary of POSTS activities provides a listing of accomplishments of the entire five year program. Included are the names of all fellows associated with POSTS, POSTS projects completed by…

Describes travel experiences in foreign cities to illustrate the authors' contention that cities provide an ideal context for developing critical thinking in students. Argues that schools should exploit urban resources to relate students' learning experiences to their everyday lives. (Author/JM)