Using a selection of songs, statistics, television spots, archival films, and magazine advertisements, students investigate how the postwar resurgence of the U.S. automotive industry coincided with the rise of the teenager, the two intersecting in Rock and Roll culture.

Cards, Cars and Currency is a curriculum unit that challenges students to become involved in three specific areas of personal finance: credit cards, debit cards and purchasing a car.

This class is divided into a series of sections or “modules”, each of which concentrates on a particular large technology-related topic in a cultural context. The class will start with a four-week module on Samurai Swords and Blacksmithing, followed by smaller units on Chinese Cooking, the Invention of Clocks, and Andean Weaving, and end with a four-week module on Automobiles and Engines. In addition, there will be a series of hands-on projects that tie theory and practice together. The class discussions range across anthropology, history, and individual development, emphasizing recurring themes, such as the interaction between technology and culture and the relation between “skill” knowledge and “craft” knowledge.

Culture Tech evolved from a more extensive, two-semester course which formed the centerpiece of the Integrated Studies Program at MIT.  For 13 years, ISP was an alternative first-year program combining humanities, physics, learning-by-doing, and weekly luncheons.  Culture Tech represents the core principles of ISP distilled into a 6-unit seminar. Although many collections of topics have been used over the years, the modules presented here are a representative sequence.

Students will practice speculating about the past and present, regarding events that have happened. They will also discuss the environment and technology.

In this activity, students will practice speculating about the past and present in regards to events that have happened. They will also discuss the environment and technology.

In this activity, students will practice describing their dream car and proposing solutions for problems related to driving.

In this activity, students will practice describing their dream car and proposing solutions for problems related to driving.

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey looks at the invention of the automobile and the development of mass production.

Building upon their understanding of forces and Newton's laws of motion, students learn about the force of friction, specifically with respect to cars. They explore the friction between tires and the road to learn how it affects the movement of cars while driving. In an associated literacy activity, students explore the theme of conflict in literature, and the difference between internal and external conflict, and various types of conflicts. Stories are used to discuss methods of managing and resolving conflict and interpersonal friction.

Students will practice speculating about the past and present in regards to events that have happened. They will also discuss the environment and technology. Students will learn how to describe technology, parts of a car, and solutions to problems that come with technology in the future. 

Students will practice speculating about the past and present in regards to events that have happened. They will also discuss the environment and technology. Students will learn how to describe technology in the future.

Students will practice speculating about the past and present in regards to events that have happened. They will also discuss the environment and technology. Students will learn how to describe technology in the future.

How far can your vehicle travel? Students design and build a vehicle out of K'Nex with 3-4 wheels, test their designs, analyze their results, make a change, and repeat process. This is a fun STEM activity that can be done with a substitute or if you are getting comfortable with STEM.