Flight Culture and the Human Experience

Of the many remarkable inventions produced during the twentieth century, none exerted so powerful or lasting a hold on the human imagination as the airplane. As a transportation technology, a weapon of war, and a symbol of political power as well as personal liberation, the airplane was a vital element in the emergence of the modern world. Beginning with an investigation of the meanings of flight in ancient mythology and concluding with a discussion of the state of aviation technology in the early twenty-first century, “Flight Culture and the Human Experience” provides students with a cross-cultural, multi-media survey of flight’s social, cultural, political, and military impact on world history.

Among the numerous topics that will be addressed in this course are: the physics of flight; the impact of aviation on twentieth-century art; the development of civil and commercial aviation; cinematic images of flying; the airplane as an instrument of war, and contemporary developments in the aviation industry. Passengers who successfully complete the journey will disembark with a better understanding of the airplane’s role as an agent of social and political transformation as well as a greater understanding of the centrality of cultural factors in contributing to technological development and modernization around the globe.

About this Web Site: Flight Culture and the Human Experience is part of SPOKE Educational Network, Inc. (SPOKE-Network™). It is the central on-line repository for browsing materials, media resources, instructional policies, the class blog, and other virtual information related to both the meat-world and online versions of the course bearing the same name. If you are among the lucky masses currently enrolled in “Flight Culture and the Human Experience,” this site contains everything you require for a successful and enjoyable journey. Please be sure to check-in regularly during the semester as the contents of this site will be updated on a frequent basis.