The Archivist: Understanding Society and Technology

The study of social sciences as part of WPI’s core educational model has long been instrumental in supporting our founders’ vision of combining theory and practice to produce graduates who would have both the skills to revolutionize industry and understand the impact on society. Elements of economics and science were taught by Edward P. Smith beginning in 1872, and a course on “Physical and Political Science” was introduced in 1891. In 1893, WPI selected George Henry Haynes to teach history and economics, a role he would hold for more than 43 years. His replacement, Albert J. Schwieger, would be instrumental in founding the School of Industrial Management.

Despite understanding the need for social sciences in the WPI curriculum, it was not until the 1970s—after the introduction of WPI’s landmark educational re-imagining under The WPI Plan—that the academic area expanded, a reflection of the Interactive Qualifying Project’s emphasis on solving issues facing society. On Oct. 30, 1973, Dean of the Faculty Ray E. Bolz announced plans to form a new department to be known as “Applied Social Science” that would combine the existing faculty of the Department of Economics, Government, and Business with proposed new positions. On June 4, 1974, Dean Bolz distributed another campus memorandum that added “Policy Studies” to the title of WPI’s newest department to better emphasize “the fact that this is not a typical social science department, but one which will have a strong project orientation.”  

Despite being only 4% of WPI’s faculty, this department’s faculty advised 14% of the early IQPs. And even though The WPI Plan includes a heavy influence of the social sciences, courses in the subject were not required until 1983, in no small part to recommendations made by the NEASC (New England Association of Schools and Colleges) accreditation review. With its new status and centralized role in the curriculum, the Social Science and Policy Studies Department has experienced continued growth and today offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in economics, policy studies, environmental and sustainability studies, psychological science, system dynamics, and learning sciences and technology

—University Archivist Arthur Carlson, assistant director of the George C. Gordon Library