The Technology and Culture Forum is a ministry of the Episcopal Chaplain at MIT, and grows out of the church’s commitment to peace, justice, and upholding human dignity. Our programs challenge participants to consider how their work as scientists, engineers, managers, and citizens furthers these ideals.

During the 1998-1999 academic year, T&C hosted programs on the Culture and Cost of Conspicuous Consumption, Wiring the Classroom: Moving Beyond Access K-12, Y2K, Making a Global Economy Work, Re-Inventing Universities in the 21st Century, and Foundations of World Order: Fifty Years of the UN, World Bank, IMF and the Declaration of Human Rights.

Past Forums

[ Forums '06-'07 ]
[ Forums '05-'06 ]
[ Forums '04-'05 ]
[ Forums '03-'04 ]
[ Forums '02-'03 ]
[ Forums '01-'02 ]
[ Forums '00-'01 ]
[ Forums '99-'00 ]
[ Forums '98-'99 ]
[ Past Speakers ]

Forums 1998-1999

The Culture and Cost of Conspicuous Consumption
May 4, 1999

Speakers:
Robert Frank
Cornell University and author of Luxury Fever

Respondent:
Eric Almquist
Vice-President and Director of Mercer Management Consulting

Wiring the Classroom: Moving Beyond Acess: K-12
Saturday, May 1, 1999

Speakers:
Eilliott Soloway

Y2K: Are We At Risk?
Monday, April 26, 1999

Making a Global Economy Work When There is no Global Government
Wednesday, April 7, 1999

Speakers:
Lester Thurow
The Lemelson Professor of Management and Economics, MIT Sloan School of Management

Re-Inventing Universities in the 21st Centure: Adapting Changes in Higher Education
Wednesday, March 3, 1999

Speaker:
Diana Laurillard
Professor of Educational Technology at the Open University in the UK is coming to the MIT campus for three days (March 3-5). She's an important figure in the technology-enhanced education world (long-distance learning, etc). She heads the Institute of Educational Technology, the largest cerner for educational technology. She is also currently serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the Open Univerisity. Her best known publication is the seminal book, Rethinking University Teaching.

Respondents:
Mitch McVey
Jeremy Sher
Class of '99, Mathematics
Seth Teller
X-Consortium Associate Professor, MIT EECS

Moderator:
Prof. Woodie Flowers
MIT Pappalardo Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Foundations of World Order: Fifty Years of the UN, World Bank, IMF and the Declaration of Human Rights
Monday, February 22, 1999

Speakers:
Noam Chomsky
We've just passed the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and (shortly before) of the Charter of the UN. This is a natural time to reflect upon how these, as well as the Bretton Wood international economic system, has influenced the world.
Related Links: Noam Chomsky's Works