Wiki for Dr. McClurkens Courses

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====== Readings from Smith and Clancy (Include title of reading you are commenting on) ======

Among the documents in this volume, I found the essay by Fern Van Bramer, “How Electricity Affects Economy in the Home and Adds to the Happiness of the Family,” to be particularly interesting because it was written by a fifteen-year-old and because it presents electricity not just as a particular form of modern convenience but at the same time as a moral and emotional force, which is capable of reinforcing family life and social order through the introduction of "brightness" and "lightness". One could even argue that the essay turns electricity into a fetishized commodity. By presenting electricity as something that can make one's house equivalent to "the home of the millionaire", it masks and hides class inequality. Thus, it might subsequently lead to framing consumption as moral virtue and happiness as something purchasable. - Nikolai Kotkov

I found "Colonial Radio Saves Wasted Motion" quite interesting as it highlights the emphasis on work efficiency. This work efficiency is forefront in the technical education provided to the girls in the school, and it is stated that this method of teaching is "for their benefit" more broadly, which I believe shows that these practices were intended to be learned and taken into the home as they become wives, indicating the gender roles that this workplace was still adhering to, despite providing work for women. - CJ Nemetz

I was really interested in Van Bramer’s article “How Electricity Effects Economy in the Home and Adds to the Happiness of the Family” because the author takes the perspective of looking at the benefits of electricity in the ways it upholds gender roles and social structures within the home. It’s interesting to see this being reflected in the words from the consumer perspective since we’ve looked at some advertisements (more so for the telephone) in class. - Grayson Donohoe

In reading the of “How Electricity Effects Economy in the Home and Adds to the Happiness of the Family (Prizewinning Essay, 1917), I thought it was interesting how light was given and the power of electricity was given a very warm and happy connotation. I think this is the first time I have read about someone’s opinions on light or electricity being something different than being helpful for production or for purely commercial/business values. Instead it’s giving the prospective from a family and how it adds warmth and beauty to their home. The light brings their family together, adding more happiness in their lives. Though in the end it does lead into talking about how the electronic toys with instructive features will lead their sons into a job in the future. It has to end on a business note. - Izzy Ellenberger

====== Ruth Cowan, Social History of American Technology ======

The article by Ruth Cowan demonstrates the development of American views on technology from the colonial era to the twentieth century. One of the most interesting aspects of this work is that it synthesizes many of the readings we have encountered throughout the course. Cowan discusses the debates over machinery during the revolutionary period (Jefferson, Hamilton, Coxe), discusses the Hudson River School (and hence sublime) and the influence of Romanticism on conceptions of technology, and even addresses Taylor’s ideas on industrial efficiency. - Nikolai Kotkov

Cowan discusses how Americans have perceived technology, from the colonial era, to the advent of the phrase "technology", and beyond. I found the section on the blending of romanticism and technology quite interesting, and how that resulted in the start of technologically utopian fiction we see from the time period and even into this day. - CJ Nemetz

It was interesting how Cowan depicted Americans’ perceptions of technology over time. The romanticism aspect she discusses connects back to some of our previous discussion, like the railroad, about how Americans’ in the nineteenth century were starting to see technology as a sign of progress and growth. - Grayson Donohoe

====== Nye, 133-137 ======

This chapter discusses the transformation of the American urban landscape by examining different modes of transportation: primarily streetcars, trolleys, and eventually automobiles. In particular, the author pays special attention to the ideas of engineers and urban planners who did not predict that automobiles would become the means of mass transportation. - Nikolai Kotkov

Despite the conclusion encompassing the entire chapter, I still found it quite fascinating. Nye states that the streetcar was both an agent of division in an urban planning sense but uniquely democratic and unifying on its own, due to its accessibility; he notes that this factor is what set forth southern segregation laws on streetcars, and most definitely into other aspects of public life. - CJ Nemetz

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