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| Nanotechnology: Societal Implications of the Next Technology Wave (605) |
2006 Fall
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| Chicago-Kent College of Law
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Illinois
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General Seminar (2 credits)
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| Public and private funding is pouring into nanotechnology research and development (some $8 billion annually worldwide). Seen by many as the key disruptive technology of the 21st century, nanoscale manipulation is already affecting many industrial sectors and has the capacity to revolutionize not only the economy but the culture. The "21st Century Nanotechnology R. and D. Act" was signed into law by President Bush in December, 2003, and alongside generous research funding provision (of the order of $1 billion per annum) stresses the need for attention to its societal implications. In this seminar we examine key social and ethical questions raised by the technology, and assess the manner in which both United States and international (especially European Union) policy is being developed. Particular attention will be paid to reports on the implications of nanotechnology that have been generated by both the federal National Nanotechnology Initiative and the European Commission. We shall also review the approach of key advocacy groups, both those critical of the technology, and those who consider that the federal project is insufficiently ambitious.
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| Program: Intellectual Property and Technology Focus
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Course Instructor(s):
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