Technology is often far more than what initially meets the design engineer’s eye. What happens to all that plastic used in our every day lives? What happens to your old phone when you get a new one? How has technology changed the way we think, focus, interact, and relate to the world?

In ENGR498C you will look at these and other similar questions raised by our design, use, and distribution of consumer technology. This is a brand new course designed to expose the UW student to significant social and environmental impacts of technology with particular emphasis on consumer products. The course will cover a broad range of technologies from the production of plastics to the use of cell phones, in terms of how these technologies impact people, culture, ecosystem, and public health.

• When: Spring Quarter 2016
• Where: EEB 026
• Time: Tuesdays, 3:30-5:20 pm
• Credits: 2 (I&S)
• Instructor: Denise Wilson