Zipper opens students' eyes

By Sean Daly

A new ANU course is using everyday objects like the zipper to challenge students' preconceptions about technology and illustrate its impact on society.

The Technology in Society course, introduced in the History department by Dr John Knott, examines the effect of technology on society in Europe, America and Asia over the past 200 years.

"Most people take technology for granted, yet it has such an impact on the way people live and society changes. What I wanted in the course was to explore that impact," Dr Knott said.

Students expecting a technical course with discussions about complicated machines have been pleasantly surprised, he said.

"A lot of people see technology in terms of the nuts and bolts - highly technical machines, but they often take for granted everyday objects."

To illustrate this point, Dr Knott re-introduces students to the zipper.

"It's a 20th century innovation but you have to ask why it was invented and came into popular use. It doesn't do anything other things can't, it was hard to manufacture, it was quite expensive initially to make. So you have to question why it was successful."

He said the zipper became successful because of its cultural or symbolic meaning.

"It was something associated with modernity. It was invented by an American in the late 1800s but was very impractical - it rusted, it had to be taken off clothes before they were washed - but there were changes in technology and between the (world) wars the Germans were in love with anything modern, that's when it became a success."

Dr Knott said the zipper was a good example to shock people into reviewing their notions of technology.

"If you talk about cars or planes people think: 'Yeah, I know all about that', but if you talk about something like a zipper it undermines their preconceived views."

Dr Knott said it was originally planned to offer the course to engineering students as well but the engineering school had specific requirements that could not be met. He said there were many reasons why engineers should take a course like his.

"It makes them consider the social and cultural impact of the things they are designing."

The course also looked at the argument that society was shaped by technology or vice versa.

"I'm not a supporter of hard and fast statements like 'the car invented suburbia'. The fact that suburbs flourished after the invention of the car can be attributed to all sorts of things. People were keen to move out of the cities anyway, the car just allowed them to do that," he said.

Dr Knott said he was pleased by the response from the students and there were plans to continue the course next year.