Designing multidisciplinary graduate education in technology and the social sciences

Abstract

In 2001 The College of Technology and Applied Sciences at Arizona State University initiated a new graduate concentration - Global Technology & Development (GTD) - for the M.S. in Technology degree. This paper presents the details of this truly multidisciplinary, innovative curriculum development in technology. The program offers students the opportunity to study applications of technology for global development, how systems of technology interface, and technology's role in global economic, political, and social development and change. While the traditional MS in Technology disciplines produce specialized technologists, the GTD concentration integrates social scientific approaches to the study of human development with coursework in systems of technology to train students to become "technology interpreters" for careers in technology-related public policy, administration, government service, and international development and management. Some of the central issues addressed in this concentration include technological change and its effects on societies and their economies, and how, in turn, social change influences technological advance. Thus, engineering students are exposed to graduate level theoretical foundations in the social sciences, and liberal art students are exposed to courses in information technology software, transportation systems, technology forecasting, and sustainable energy studies. Because of the unique multidisciplinary curriculum that combines technology, social sciences, and international and comparative studies, students in this program are able to choose elective courses and theses or applied project topics from a wide variety of fields, depending upon their academic backgrounds, strengths, and interests. The experience of implementing this multidisciplinary graduate program, bridging technology and the social sciences, provides a model for further multidisciplinary curriculum development.