{"id":24,"date":"2019-08-02T19:50:58","date_gmt":"2019-08-02T19:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-courses1920.wolfware.ncsu.edu\/sts-302-002h-fall-2019\/?page_id=24"},"modified":"2024-10-07T18:57:27","modified_gmt":"2024-10-07T18:57:27","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-courses2425.wolfware.ncsu.edu\/sts-302-002h-fall-2024\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"

Course Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

This course is the introductory course in the Benjamin Franklin Scholars program. Its purpose is to introduce you to thinking about technology through the humanities and social sciences. In this course we will look at what the fields of history, sociology, philosophy, political science, and science fiction have to say about technology.<\/p>\n

Books
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox, Apollo:\u00a0 The Race to the Moon Kindle 7.99\u00a0<\/a>
\nThere are used\/new physical copies, but they are much more expensive.\u00a0 See Amazon<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0Advanced Book Exchange.<\/a><\/p>\n

Stephen Johnson, \u00a0Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0(26.95–15.48 on Amazon)
\nWilliam Gibson, Neuromancer\u00a0 The mass market paperback sells for $7.99 from Amazon.<\/a><\/p>\n


\n<\/a>Grading and Requirements<\/strong>
\n–-Alumni Interview (5%)<\/a>
\n–Class Participation (12%)<\/a>
\n–Response to Readings (13%<\/a>)
\n–Cell Projects–Podcasts (25%)<\/a>
\n—Paper on Apollo\u00a0 (15%) \u00a0(3-5 pages) Due Sept. 20 at midnight.<\/a>
\n–Midterm Paper (15%) \u00a0(3-5 pages based on readings; \u00a0Due October 18<\/a>
\n–Final Paper (15%)\u00a0 Due\u00a0 Dec. 6 at noon.\u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

This course beyond the course<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a>One of the things I love about technology is that it covers every area of our lives.\u00a0 My hope is that everyone can find things that are interesting to them in this course and also that they can find tools for thinking about technology.\u00a0 While it is not a formal assignment, I encourage you to “see” the themes of this course elsewhere.\u00a0 It can be about something you have experienced or observed in your daily life.\u00a0 I could be about something you have read.\u00a0 It could be about a movie, song, video that you have seen or heard.\u00a0 I’ll try to often start class on Wednesday by talking about ways we can see themes of the course playing out in the world today.<\/p>\n

Here are some places where you can find stories on technology:
\nNew York Times Technology Section<\/a>
\nWired.<\/a>
\nArs Technica<\/a>
\nScientific American<\/a>
\nTechnology Review<\/a>
\nAmerican Scientist<\/a>
\nPhysics Today<\/a>
\nSlashdot<\/a>
\nIEEE Spectrum<\/a>
\nrecode<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>Response to Readings
\n<\/strong><\/a>The reading is the heart of this course and it is essential that you do it. To start class discussion off, I have posted a list of questions with every reading. Twelve times throughout the semester, I expect you to email me at ncsusts302h@gmail.com with a 300 word response to the readings. This email must come before the class where we discuss the reading–ideally before 11am that day.\u00a0 It will be easiest for me if your response is in the body of the email.\u00a0 I will provide you some questions you might respond to, but you can also write on anything in the reading that sparks your interest.\u00a0 Your posting has to show knowledge of the reading!\u00a0 In the course of the semester, I expect you to send me 12 emails with your reading responses.\u00a0 To help me keep these straight, please use the subject heading “STS302H Reading Response”.\u00a0 It is important to make at least 12 reading responses!\u00a0<\/strong> See Final Paper, below.\u00a0 Generally, one reading response a week is a good pace to keep.\u00a0\u00a0
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Cells<\/strong>
\nThe class will be broken up into\u00a0 3-person cells. \u00a0(Cell assignments here<\/a>.<\/a>). One of the reasons I think this is good is that life (and engineering especially) is a team sport.\u00a0 How successful you are in your career will be a strong function not just of your own technical talents, but of your ability to work effectively with other people.\u00a0 So it will be good to start early.<\/p>\n

You should think of your job in your cell as helping your cellmates to learn.\u00a0 Ask them questions!\u00a0<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/a>Final Paper
\n<\/strong><\/a>The final paper will be optional if you have made all 12 reading responses, have a solid attendance record, have participated in class,\u00a0 and have received A\/A- grades in at least two assignments. I will notify those students who meet these criteria the last week of class. For all other students, the final paper will be a 5 page paper on a topic to be distributed the last week of class.<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n

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<\/a>\u00a0Attendance<\/strong>
\nAttendance is required. Attendance will be taken and unexcused absences will factor into your participation grade. Everyone is allowed two absences from class. After that, each absence which does not have a valid documented reason will result in a deduction of 5% from your final grade.\u00a0 Please do not come to class if you are sick–notify me and your absence will be excused.<\/p>\n

First Assignment–Introduction (Ungraded)<\/strong>
\nSend me an email introducing yourself to me.\u00a0 What is important about you (to you)?\u00a0 What do you hope to get out of the Franklin program?\u00a0 Why did you go into engineering?\u00a0 What have been important influences in your life?\u00a0 What is your favorite book?\u00a0 What is your favorite source for information about goings-on in the world (technological or not)?<\/p>\n

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Learning Outcomes<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of this course you will:<\/p>\n

-Have a vocabulary and a grammar with which you can analyze the main features of a society’s technology in general. You will also understand the social construction of technology and technological determinism as approaches for understanding the relation between society and technology and be able to give several examples of each.<\/p>\n

–Give several examples of how a technology developed in different ways in different societies and have an understanding of what accounted for those differences
\n–Understand the concept of the evolution of technology and be able to explain factors that have been important in the development of new technologies.<\/p>\n

–explain two critiques humanists have made of technology<\/p>\n

Resources for Writing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Writing is hard work and it is one of the foundations of this course. For many of you, it will be a central aspect of your careers. One of the goals of this course is to help you improve your writing. Here are some resources:<\/p>\n

Expectations of an A Paper<\/a><\/p>\n

–The UNC Writing Center (I hate to say this) has a great collection of\u00a0handouts.<\/a><\/p>\n

–Anne Lamott on the importance of “Shitty First Drafts”<\/a><\/p>\n

–one of the best books on writing is\u00a0Strunk and White, The Elements of Style<\/a>\u00a0It is really cheap and everyone should have a copy of it. However an\u00a0older version<\/a>\u00a0(written by Strunk alone) is available for free on the web.<\/p>\n

Grades<\/p>\n

Your final grade will be based on the following scale<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
>98*<\/td>\nA+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
92.5-98<\/td>\nA<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
90-92.5<\/td>\nA-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
88-90<\/td>\nB+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
83-88<\/td>\nB<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
80-83<\/td>\nB-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
78-80<\/td>\nC+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
73-78<\/td>\nC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
70-73<\/td>\nC-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
68-70<\/td>\nD+<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
63-68<\/td>\nD<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
60-63<\/td>\nD-<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<60<\/td>\nF<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

**Note: An A+ grade is a mark of extraordinary achievement and is not given solely on the basis of average. To receive an A+ the student’s work will be expected to have been exceptional throughout the course and the student will be expected to have made an active contribution to the class.<\/p>\n

Academic Integrity
\n<\/strong>In this course we will learn about how people borrowed (and stole) other people’s ideas. While some of these people got rich doing so, such behavior will not be tolerated in this class.\u00a0 All papers are expected to be your own work. Passing off someone else’s work as your own is plagiarism, a very serious offense. If you quote other material directly you should make that clear by quotation marks and a proper citation (footnote).\u00a0The Code of Student Conduct<\/a>\u00a0provides for very harsh penalties for plagiarism or giving or receiving unauthorized aid.<\/p>\n

Disability Policy
\n<\/strong>Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with verifiable disabilities. In order to take advantage of available accommodations, students must register with Disability Services for Students at 1900 Student Health Center, Campus Box 7509, 515-7653. For more information on NC State’s policy on working with students with disabilities, please see the\u00a0Academic Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Regulation (REG02.20.1
\n<\/a>
\nCivility Policy
\n<\/strong>I expect all students to treat their fellow students with respect and dignity.<\/p>\n

On Time Assignments
\n<\/strong>All assignments are due at the time stated unless you have made arrangements with me.<\/p>\n

Distraction Free Environment
\n<\/strong>Technology is great, but it has its place! \u00a0There will be no use of cell phones, PDAs, Ipods, etc. in class. \u00a0Unless you are looking at class material, there will be no use of laptops in class.<\/p>\n

GEP Statement
\n<\/strong>This course satisfies the General Education Program requirement in Interdisciplinary Perspectives. \u00a0The learning outcomes of this requirement are :<\/p>\n

1. Distinguish between the distinct approaches of two or more disciplines; and
\n2. \u00a0Identify and apply authentic connections between two or more disciplines; and
\n3. \u00a0Explore and synthesize the approaches or views of the two or more disciplines.
\nThis course meets these outcomes through a series of readings which examine engineering through the perspectives of history, philosophy, political science, literature, and economics. \u00a0These readings will demonstrate that while technology operates within specific technical constraints, it also operates within specific social contexts. \u00a0Students understandings of these approaches and connections will\u00a0be measured by the written assignments.<\/p>\n

This course satisfies the General Education Program requirement in Global Knowledge. The learning outcomes of this requirement are:<\/p>\n

Objectives for courses in the category of Global Knowledge:
\nEach course in Global Knowledge will provide instruction and guidance that help students to achieve goal #1 plus at least one of #2, #3, or #4.<\/p>\n

Bias Impact Response Team Syllabus Short Description<\/strong><\/p>\n

The OIED Bias Impact Response team offers a system and processes that invites NC State students, faculty and staff to document and proactively address the impacts of bias-related incidents, behaviors, and actions. To learn more or to submit a report, please visit https:\/\/diversity.ncsu.edu\/bias-impact or email bias_impact@ncsu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Health and Well-Being Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Everyone is encouraged to take care of themselves<\/a> and their peers. If you need additional support, there are many resources on campus to help you:<\/p>\n