One of my favorite activities is putting together a syllabus; I love how I can look at a beautifully crafted course and see the whole exciting journey laid out, all the pieces already in place.

I just came across this course, taught by Michael Shanks, called Ten Things. Shanks is an archaeologist at Stanford, and his course draws together his field with work in the sociology and history of technology to help students rethink the relationship between technology, culture, and society. Each week focuses on one artifact, from the pyramids at Giza to Wedgewood china to the mouse, as  a way in to undermining some commonplace assumption about technology. Then each student develops their own portfolio on an artifact of their choice.

His notes on the final class, where he talks about “thing theory“, are a lovely synopsis of what the sociological study of technology, and particularly actor-network theory, have to offer.