This module explores how ideas of governance have changed alongside technological and historical developments. It begins from the view that today’s world must be understood as a network of dynamic, interdependent, and culturally distinct parts—each shaped by different historical experiences and technological transformations. The course introduces an often overlooked dimension of global politics: how modern technology has influenced the way we think about strategy, planning, and control.

By examining key concepts such as feedback control and systems design, students will learn how these technological ideas migrated into frameworks for political, institutional, cultural governance, and strategies for the international order. Using four case studies, we trace how new technologies introduced fresh but challenging ways of imagining order, regulation, and coordination—processes often grouped under the broad term technocracy.

By the end of the module, students will gain a deeper understanding of how technological reasoning continues to shape global governance and the challenges of managing complexity in the modern world. The fi rst session of each week will consider background and context, while the second session will focus on case study. Weekly readings will be about 40-50 pages. There will be one in-class exercise per week.