At the end of the course, students will be asked to: a) Be familiar with the main events in the historical development of the sciences and technologies related to electrical engineering. b) Apply the knowledge acquired to identify the most influential contextual factors in the development of specific techno-scientific innovations in the past. c) Apply the knowledge acquired to develop a historical reconstruction of a technological innovation case, identifying the most relevant elements. d) Understand the scientific context of a specific technical problem chosen by the student and the solution adopted in that historical period.
Course Prerequisites
Knowledge of the English language
Teaching Methods
- Frontal lectures with powerpoint presentations shared with the class
- Lectures and visits at the Museum of Electrical Technology in Pavia (http://museotecnica.unipv.eu/home-eng/)
- Short films in class
-Analysis of primary sources (scientific articles, patents, book excerpts etc.)
Assessment Methods
The exam consists of an oral test structured as follows: 1 question on a primary historical source (original article, patent, book excerpt, etc.) selected from a set of sources provided during the lectures (learning outcomes d)
1 question on a specific event that represented a milestone in the development of technology, particularly in electrical engineering (learning outcomes c)
1 general question providing historical context (learning outcomes a and b)
Texts
There is no single textbook that covers the entire program of the course
PDFs of articles and book chapters regarding specific topics will be shared with the class before each lesson with the Kiro platform
Contents
From the early electrical phenomena to the foundations of electromagnetism; The first uses of electricity for telegraphy, telephony, and lighting; The Second Industrial Revolution: DC and AC generators and the “war of the currents”; The development of electrification: transport and everyday electrical devices, with a focus on radio and television; Technology during wartime; The modern era and the Information Revolution.
