STS 349: Thomas Edison and His Era

Course Description

This course will introduce students to the life and work of Thomas Edison. Breaking with the stereotype of the lone inventor/genius, we will examine how Edison helped shape and was in turn shaped by the context of the Gilded Age America when the United States emerged as an urban, industrial nation. Lectures and discussions will be supplemented by slides, films, and visits to the Edison-related sites at the Henry Ford. . Throughout the course the following themes will be explored: invention and the labor process, the significance of manufacturing and marketing, the origins of modern consumer culture. (OC).