Mon Dec 1 12:43:23 2008
| Effective Term: |
New:
1109 - Fall 2010 Old: 1089 - Fall 2008 |
|---|---|
| College: |
New:
TIOT - Institute of Technology Old: TIOT - Technology, Institute of |
| Department: |
New:
11142 - Science & Technology, Hist of Old: 11142 - IT Hist of Sci & Tech/Prog in |
|
Catalog Description: |
New:
Relations
between American culture(s) and technology from pre-Columbian times to
the present. Artisanal, biological, chemical, communications, energy,
environment, electronic, industrial, military, space and transportation
technologies will be explained in terms of their economic, social,
political and scientific causes and effects. Old: American technology in its cultural and intellectual context from 1790 to present. Transfer of technology to America; infrastructure promoting economic growth; social response to technological developments. |
| Editor Comments: |
New:
LE Recertification: THEME - Technology and Society (Course is currently certified for Historical Perspectives. "Criteria for Core Courses" information for HP will be revised and submitted at a later date.) Old: <no text provided> |
|
Faculty Sponsor Name: |
New:
Robert W. Seidel Old: |
|
Faculty Sponsor E-mail Address: |
New:
rws@umn.edu Old: |
|
Requirement this course fulfills: |
New:
HIS
- HIS Historical Perspectives
Old: HP - HP Historical Perspective Core |
|
Other requirement this course fulfills: |
New:
TS
- TS Technology and Society
Old: |
|
Criteria for Theme Courses: |
Describe how the course meets the specific bullet points for the proposed theme
requirement. Give concrete and detailed examples for the course syllabus, detailed outline,
laboratory material, student projects, or other instructional materials or methods. Theme courses have the common goal of cultivating in students a number of habits of mind:
New: HSCI 3331 evaluates the impact of automobiles, nuclear energy, space exploration, and computer technology on American Society. The development of the internal combustion engine and its thermodynamic efficiency is explained with particular reference to combustion by-products that create air pollution and materials that create water pollution. The historical development of nuclear power, set against the background of the development of fossil fuels and their role in the industrial revolution, shows the effects of the rise of physical sciences to prominence in the United States, military command technology, government-sponsored technology transfer, and public reactions to perceived dangers of radiation upon the fate of the technology as well as the evolution of environmental awareness in American society. The critical interactions between military and civilian uses of nuclear power play an important role in the generation, technological development and civilian deployment of the technology. Industrial, military and governmental perspectives on the development of the nuclear power industry illuminate the more general reaction of public and scientific opinion to the Three-Mile Island nuclear reaction. The scientific discoveries and engineering accomplishments of chemistry, chemical engineering and materials science will be considered in relation to the development of the chemical industry in the 20th century and the reaction to industrial pollution and industrial accidents by the general population are considered with respect to contemporary security and environmental problems posed by the industry. Students will use weekly small-group discussions to consider these and other topics related to technology and American society, collectively producing written and oral reports of their analyses. Old: <no text provided> |
|
Provisional Syllabus: |
Please
provide a provisional syllabus for new courses and courses in which
changes in content and/or description and/or credits are proposed that
include the following information: course goals and description;
format/structure of the course (proposed number of instructor contact
hours per week, student workload effort per week, etc.); topics to be
covered; scope and nature of assigned readings (texts, authors,
frequency, amount per week); required course assignments; nature of any
student projects; and how students will be evaluated. The University policy on credits is found under Section 4A of "Standards for Semester Conversion" at http://www.fpd.finop.umn.edu/groups/senate/documents/policy/semestercon.html . Provisional course syllabus information will be retained in this system until new syllabus information is entered with the next major course modification, This provisional course syllabus information may not correspond to the course as offered in a particular semester. New: Syllabus: HSCI 3331/5331 Technology and American Culture Instructor: Robert W. Seidel Lecture/Discussion: MWF 10-11 Office Hours: 11-12 MW Classroom: 319 Ackerman Office: 101 Amundson Hall Office Hours: 11:15-12:00 MWF Phone: 612 624-8003 Email: rws@umn.edu Course Description: Technology plays a central role in American culture, from 18th century automated flour mills to the X-files. We'll explore the inventions that have shaped American history as well as the history that shaped the gadgets in lectures, discussions, and video and on the world-wide web and analyze the consequences in contemporary life. While no technical expertise is required to complete the course, you'll learn enough to make you capable of dealing with technological issues as a citizen, scholar, and consumer. Reading Required: Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Social History of American Technology (Oxford, 1997) Thomas Parke Hughes, American Genesis: A Century of Invention and Technological Enthusiasm, 1870-1970 (Chicago, 2000) Reading Schedule: Please complete the reading by the date indicated Cowan, Social History Hughes, American Genesis Date 1-27 i-xxvii, 1-12 5-Sep 28-44 12-Sep 45-65 19-Sep 67-92 26-Sep 93-118 13-52 3-Oct 119-148 53-95 10-Oct 149-172 96-138 17-Oct 173-200 24-Oct 201-220 138-184 31-Oct 221-248 184-249 7-Nov 249-272 249-295 14-Nov 273-301 295-353 21-Nov 354-442 5-Dec 301-328 443-472 12-Dec For help in reading history, see “Writing in History” at the University of Minnesota Center for Writing. [http://writing.umn.edu/sws/disciplines/history. htm] Class Expectations I expect students to attend lectures and to actively participate by listening, asking questions and taking notes. Consult The Student's Guide to the Study of History [http://www.historyguide.org/guide/guide.html} Note-Taking and In-Class Skills [http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/notetake.html] or the University of St. Thomas’s Study Guides and Strategies [http://www.iss.stthomas.edu/studyguides] for effective techniques. You may us recording devices only with my approval. Please turn your cell phone and other listening devices off in class. Late arrival distracts students and me. Please avoid this. The best way to get an answer is to ask a question. I encourage to you to do so. U policy regarding materials provided on the World Wide Web and in class. Students may not make available on the Internet or by any other means notes or summaries or any instructor-provided materials from a class, without my express written consent. Making more than one copy of written (in any form, electronic, paper, or other), printed, or audio materials provided or presented in class is a violation of copyright law, and is likewise prohibited. The provisions of this policy are enforceable under the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code, and violations may result in reprimand, suspension, expulsion, or other sanctions. Students who engage in behavior that disrupts the learning environment for others may be subject to disciplinary action under the Code. In addition, students responsible for such behavior may be asked to cancel their registration (or have their registration cancelled). [University of Minnesota Board of Regents' Policy: Student Affairs-Student Conduct Adopted: March 11, 1994, p. 3]. U Policy on Student Misconduct Scholastic misconduct is broadly defined as "any act that violates the right of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work. Scholastic dishonesty includes, (but is not necessarily limited to): cheating on assignments or examinations; plagiarizing, which means misrepresenting as your own work any part of work done by another; submitting the same paper, or substantially similar papers, to meet the requirements of more than one course without the approval and consent of all instructors concerned; depriving another student of necessary course materials; or interfering with another student's work." Special Accommodations Students with disabilities that affect their ability to participate fully in class or to meet all course requirements are encouraged to bring this to the attention of the instructor so that appropriate accommodations can be arranged. Further information is available from Disabilities Services (McNamara Alumni Center, 200 Oak St SE, Suite 180 [ds.umn.edu]). Sexual Harassment University policy prohibits sexual harassment including unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature when (1) submission to such conduct is made either explicitly or implicitly a term or condition of an individual's employment or academic advancement in any University activity or program; (2) submission to or rejection of such conduct by an individual is used as the basis of employment or academic decisions affecting this individual in any University activity or program; or (3) such conduct has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual's work or academic performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or academic environment in any University activity or program. Plagiarism Plagiarism will be punished by failure of the course. Students may appeal this penalty through the appropriate channels. Reports of scholastic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will be sent to the Office for Student Conduct & Academic Integrity (OSCAI) [www.umn.edu/oscai/conduct/student/procedure.html]. Examinations There will be one mid-term examination and a final examination. . Both will be held in-class and will be closed-book examinations. No notes or electronic recording devices will be permitted. The mid-term examination is scheduled for October 31 at the regular class meeting. The final examination is scheduled for 10:30am-12:30pm Saturday, December 13, 2008. See Final Exam Regulations. Exam format: Essay with identification. The essays will test your critical thinking ability and your knowledge of lecture, video and reading content. You will be required to make a logical and cogent argument using appropriate evidence from these materials. Identification questions will be used to further test your understanding of these materials. There will be a limited choice of essay and identification questions. Essay You will be responsible for preparing a 15-page essay using one or more of the supplementary readings. Your essay should be original and make effective use of your reading to demonstrate an original thesis. You will be required to submit your essay in hard copy to me and an electronic version to Turnitin.com. The class number for the course is “2347146” and the enrollment password is “Seidel.” If you are unfamiliar with this resource, consult the Student User Manual at the Turnitin.com site. The paper will be due on December 1, 2008. Late papers will accrue a penalty of one full grade point per day. Grades will be posted on December 15. Writing help is available at the University of Minnesota Center for Writing [http://writing.umn.edu/index.htm]. Supplementary Readings: Bart Hacker, American Military Technology (Johns Hopkins, 2007) Rudi Volti, Cars and Culture (Johns Hopkins, 2006) William H. Roberts, Civil War Ironclads (Johns Hopkins, 2007) Carroll Pursell, Hammer in their Hands (MIT, 2007) Stephen B. Johnson, Secrets of Apollo (Johns Hopkins, 2007) Class Discussions Weekly class discussions on Friday mornings will permit you to interact with a permanent group of students in formulating an answer to a question posed by the instructor and based on the readings assigned for the week. During each meeting your group will prepare a written summary and an oral report of the discussion. The responsibilities for writing and oral reporting will be rotated among the group members. Oral presentations will be presented and written reports submitted by the end of the discussion period. Each group will receive a collective grade for each written report, and each of you will assess the contributions of your group members to the discussion at the end of the semester. The grade and the average assessment will determine each group member’s grade. Web Page If you are enrolled in the course, its web page will be accessible to you on-line. Access your site via the myU Portal: 1. Go to http://myu.umn.edu 2. Log in with your UMN Internet ID and password. 3. Click the “My Courses” tab. You may need to scroll down to the “Other Courses You Are Taking” section on the active tab in order to see this Class quizzes, calendar, chat rooms and supplementary readings and course materials will be made available on the Web Page. Your use of the web page to submit quizzes, questions, and read materials will be monitored, as may your Chat Room. The Chat Rooms will be assigned to discussion groups in order to prepare for the weekly class discussions. Grading Your grade will be based on the mid-semester and final examinations (50%), written paper (25%), and class participation (25%). I assess each of these in terms of demonstrated ability to think critically about issues presented in the course. I use the following conversions in grading: Letter Grade Grade Points Scale of 100 Qualitative A 4 95 Excellent B 3 85 Good C 2 75 Fair D 1 65 Poor F 0 0-59 Fail + + .3 +3 Superior - -.3 -3 Inferior Grade appeals should be discussed with me during office hours. You can contact the Student Conflict Resolution Center [http://www.sos.umn.edu/index.html] if you feel I have been unfair in assessing your work. Plagiarism of other scholastic misconduct will result in a failing grade for the course as per the University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code, Section 5, subdivision I. Disruptive Classroom Conduct will lead to expulsion from the class, as per University of Minnesota Student Conduct Code, Section 5, subdivision 2. [http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/Student_Conduct_Code.pdf] See also the Student Academic Grievance Policy. [http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/policies/stugrieve.html] Reports of scholastic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will be sent to the Office for Student Conduct & Academic Integrity (OSCAI). More Information: University of Minnesota Standard Statement on Course Requirements The two major grading systems used are the A-F and S-N. Departmental majors must take major courses on the A-F system; non-majors may use either system. The instructor will specify criteria and achievement levels required for each grade. All students, regardless of the system used, will be expected to do all work assigned in the course, or its equivalent as determined by the instructor. Any changes you wish to make in the grading base must be done in the first two weeks of the semester. The instructor will specify the conditions, if any, under which an "Incomplete" will be assigned instead of a grade. The instructor may set dates and conditions for makeup work, if it is to be allowed. "I" grades will automatically lapse to "F"s at the end of the next semester of a student's registration, unless an instructor agrees to submit a change of grade for a student during a subsequent semester to maintain the grade as an "I". Inquiries regarding any changes of grade should be directed to the instructor of the course; you may wish to contact the Student Dispute Resolution Center (SDRC) in 321 CMU (625-5900) for assistance. Students are responsible for all information disseminated in class and all course requirements, including deadlines and examinations. The instructor will specify whether class attendance is required or counted in the grade for a class. [Instructor’s note: Yes] A student is not permitted to submit extra work in an attempt to raise his or her grade, unless the instructor has specified at the outset of the class such opportunities will be afforded to all students. [No.] Old: <no text provided> |