Science, Technology and Engineering as knowledge and as social and professional activities.
Inter-relationship of technology growth and social, economic and cultural growth; historical perspective.
Ancient, medieval and modern technology/industrial revolution and its impact; the Indian Science and Technology.
Social and human critiques of technology; Mumford and Ellul.
Rapid technological growth and depletion of resources; reports of the club of Rome; limits to growth; sustainable development.
Energy crisis, renewable energy resources.
Environmental degradation and pollution; eco-friendly technologies; environmental regulations; environmental ethics.
Technology and the arms race; the nuclear threat.
Appropriate technology movement of Schumacher; later developments.
Technology and the developing nations; problems of technology transfer; technology assessment/impact analysis.
Human operator in engineering projects and industries; problems of man-machine interaction; impact of assembly line and automation;
human centred technology.
Industrial hazards and safety; safety regulations, safety engineering.
Politics and technology; authoritarian versus democratic control of technology; social and ethical audit of industrial organizations.
Engineering profession; ethical issues in engineering practice; conflicts between business demands and professional ideals; social and
ethical responsibilities of the engineer; codes of professional ethics; whistle blowing and beyond; case studies.