History 176 - Silicon Valley and the World It Made

Silicon Valley seeks to remake the future. This course focuses on its past. Students explore the history of American technology, capitalism, and power that created Silicon Valley, and reflect on how its rise has shaped U.S. labor, leisure, and values. Discussions include: education in an age of A.I.; the military-industrial roots of Big Tech; the dot-com bubble; techno-utopias and transhumanism; the gig economy and labor precarity; venture capital and crypto; social media and the attention economy; the religious dimensions of techno-optimism; the rise of alt-right tech bros; and what A.I. means for humanity’s future. Enrollment limited to 40. (E)