Stanford University

HISTORY 208J

Where Do Highways Come From? The History of Infrastructure

Taught by Katie McDonough

Roads, walls, and server farms are often taken for granted in our daily lives. In fact, a common statement about infrastructure is that it goes unnoticed until it fails. So what role does it play in shaping human behavior? What can we learn from understanding its origins and demise? From roadside taverns to biometric identification, this course explores infrastructural technologies between 1450 and today. We will study the people, materials, and ideas behind global infrastructure.