Tech Oligarchy: Power, Democracy, and the Rise of Global Techno-Economic Elites
CHUM 333
Fall 2026
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
STS 332, SOC 325 |
This course examines the new relations of power emerging as techno-economic elites in the United States and elsewhere -- from Palantir's Peter Thiel to Tesla's Elon Musk and Microsoft's Bill Gates -- increasingly take up outsized roles of influence and even occupy unelected positions of governance in ostensibly democratic settings worldwide. Wielding epistemic, cultural, and ideological power through financial contributions to political campaigns, outsized philanthropy, and direct control over public platforms of communication and knowledge dissemination, these elites frequently and effectively promote tech-driven solutions and corporate logics as key to solving pressing social problems and to the future of our collectives. To unpack this confluence of culture, technoscience, finance, and power, students will investigate the impacts of this emerging tech oligarchy on our societies, polities, and economies via a lab-based approach in which each student will take on a semester-long case study of a specific tech elite of their choosing. Drawing on media, grey literature, company filings and other resources, and supplemented through a review of existing literature on this topic, students will collaboratively construct a repertoire of understanding of tech oligarchy in the making through ongoing in-class presentations, engaged critical discussion, and iterative writing assignments. Across our cases, we will ultimately consider how and why this form of power has taken root, how it might be challenged or regulated, and the particular significance of technoscience in this new era of governance and social order. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CHUM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Science and Technology Studies) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
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