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This is an archived copy of the 2023-2024 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://calendar.carleton.ca.

Technology, Society, Environment Studies Committee
(Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Engineering and Design, Public Affairs, Science)

Technology, Society, Environment (TSES) Courses

TSES 2006 [0.5 credit]
Ecology and Culture

Cultural adaptations to the environment are set within globalization processes. New symbolic, historical and political ecologies arise out of the hubris of classical models. The advocacy role of applied ecological anthropology and the consequences of Western cultures' adaptive capacities will be examined.
Prerequisite(s): second year standing or equivalent.
Lectures three hours a week.

TSES 2305 [1.0 credit]
Ancient Science and Technology

Development of science and technology in the ancient world and their practical application. The craftsman and artisan in society; the attitude of intellectuals to science and manual labour. Effects of the institution of slavery. Suitable for students with no previous knowledge of Greece or Rome.
Also listed as CLCV 2305.
Prerequisite(s): second-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures two hours a week.

TSES 3001 [0.5 credit]
Technology-Society Interactions

Ethical issues in introducing technology; historical review of technology and human development; effects on society of medical and communications technologies; automation and its effects on society, especially work; impact of technology on international affairs, especially through multinational enterprises. Guest lectures.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for TSES 3000 and TSES 3500.
Prerequisite(s): at least second-year standing.
Lectures and workshops three hours per week.

TSES 3002 [0.5 credit]
Energy and Sustainability

History of energy use by humans; utilization of renewable energy sources; energy and agriculture; energy and mineral resources; options for electricity generation; nuclear energy; risks of accidents in large systems, e.g. nuclear plants, hydroelectric dams. Guest lectures.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Precludes additional credit for TSES 3000 and TSES 3500.
Prerequisite(s): at least second-year standing.
Lectures and workshops three hours per week.

TSES 3500 [0.5 credit]
Interactions in Industrial Society

Ethical issues involving technology; effects on society of automation, medical and communications technologies; technology and international affairs; energy use by humans; renewable energy sources; energy in agriculture and mineral extraction; electricity generation; nuclear energy; accidents in large systems, e.g. nuclear plants and hydroelectric dams.
Precludes additional credit for TSES 3001, TSES 3002 and TSES 3000.
Prerequisite(s): at least second-year standing.
Lectures three hours per week for both terms.

TSES 4001 [0.5 credit]
Technology and Society: Risk

Examines the complex practice of evaluating technology's impact on society and the environment; risk analysis; cost-benefit analysis; technology regulation; retrospective project assessment; necessary aspects of assessment and assessment examples. Guest lecturers.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and workshops three hours a week.

TSES 4002 [0.5 credit]
Technology and Society: Forecasting

Methods used for forecasting technological and social change; technological and social change portrayed in literature; science fiction factors involved in such change. Guest lecturers.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and workshops three hours a week.

TSES 4003 [0.5 credit]
Technology and Society: Innovation

Technological and social innovation, especially in Canada: historical examples; the relation of innovation to economic development; analysis of the steps involved; effect on employment; impediments and incentives. Guest lecturers.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and seminars three hours a week.

TSES 4005 [0.5 credit]
Information Technology and Society

Investigation of the human and social impacts of electronic information and communication on our working, educational, and personal lives from various disciplinary perspectives; problem issues and competing values in the creation, manipulation, dissemination, and control of information are identified; resolution initiatives encouraged. Guest lecturers.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and seminars three hours a week.

TSES 4006 [0.5 credit]
Technology and Society: Work

Explores the relationship between technology, employment and the individual; work organizations; employment restructuring; rural/urban split; the impact of information technologies; demographic impacts and globalization; Canadian issues and public policy explored. Guest lecturers.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and workshops three hours a week.

TSES 4007 [0.5 credit]
Product Life Cycle Analysis

Life cycle analysis of products and processes, from resource extraction through design and use to waste management or recycling; social and environmental implications of product design and use; how we value material objects and the environment; consumerism; evolution of design. Guest lectures.
Includes: Experiential Learning Activity
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and workshops three hours a week.

TSES 4008 [0.5 credit]
Environmentally Harmonious Lifestyles

Brief history of humans as part of the ecosystem; religious and ethical views; current degree of ecosystem disturbance by industrial society; innovations in products and services furthering the sustainability of the ecosystem, emphasis on the Canadian context. Guest lecturers and a major project.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures and seminars three hours a week.

TSES 4009 [0.5 credit]
Special Topics

Reading course for students who wish to investigate a particular topic relevant to TSES.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent and permission of the Chair of TSE.


TSES 4010 [0.5 credit]
Special Topics

Specific topics of current interest. Topics may vary from year to year.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures three hours a week.

TSES 4011 [0.5 credit]
Technology and Society: Development

Created in collaboration with Engineers Without Borders Carleton, the course explores appropriate ways of meeting technological needs of communities. Uses Canadian and African case studies to examine how capacity building has a greater impact than simple delivery of technological goods.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures three hours a week.

TSES 4012 [0.5 credit]
Science and Fiction: Creating Tomorrow

Scenarios are used to speculate about the planned future. Science fiction and speculative fiction project ideas about imagined futures. Using readings from scenarios, speculative fiction and science fiction the course explores the mutual shaping of fiction, science and technology.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.


TSES 4014 [0.5 credit]
Technology-Society: Time

Time is a universal human experience, but it presents some profound mysteries. It governs our behaviour on personal, societal and cultural levels. This course will bring together experts from physics, sociology , philosophy, biology, literature and psychology to illuminate our understanding.
Prerequisite(s): third-year standing or equivalent.
Lectures three hours a week.

Note: Not all courses listed are offered in a given year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings for the current session and to determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca.

Summer session: some of the courses listed in this Calendar are offered during the summer. Hours and scheduling for summer session courses will differ significantly from those reported in the fall/winter Calendar. To determine the scheduling and hours for summer session classes, consult the class schedule at central.carleton.ca