STS 2400--SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND SOCIETY

SPRING 2000 SYLLABUS: THE CONTROL OF NATURE

STS 2400-01 Tues. 8:00-9:40 J-109

STS 2400-02 Thurs. 8:00-9:40 J-109

STS 2400-04 Tues. 1:00-2:40 J-109

Instructor: Julie Newell

Office: J-309 Drop box: take the first left past J-309, look on your left

Phone/Voice mail: 770-528-7481 Fax: 770-528-4949

email: jnewell@spsu.edu

Office Hours: M,T,W,F 10:00-10:50, by appointment, and drop-ins welcome

My Web Page: http://www2.spsu.edu/cteacad/newell

Web CT Address:

OLD SERVER: http://teach.spsu.edu/SCRIPT/STS2400JN/scripts/serve_home

NEW SERVER: http://www.usg.edu (click course listings, then choose USG Southern Polytechnic, then STS2400JN)

OR: click the link from my web page

PREREQUISITES: English 1101

COURSE MATERIALS:

John McPhee, The Control of Nature (Noonday Press/ Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 1989)

Diane B. Paul, Controlling Human Heredity: 1865-Present (Prometheus/ Humanities Press, 1995)

You will need access to a web browser or time on campus to use the computers here—participation on the class web site is strongly recommended.

You will need access to a typewriter or a computer and word-processing software. Be sure that you proofread all of your work (don't rely on software) and check to see that your printer or typewriter is not in need of a new ribbon. All written work in this course must be typed.

COURSE PHILOSOPHY:

STS 2400 is an interdisciplinary course, designed to introduce you to some of the interrelationships--historical and contemporary--of science, technology and society. The depth of our dependence on complex technological systems, and the intensity of our emotional and financial investment in them, mean that such systems have wide social and cultural impact. The goal of the course is to get you to explore the broader implications of science and technology, and so of your major and, ultimately, of your chosen profession. Modern science and technology presents us with complex social, ethical, and moral choices. This course is designed to get you thinking about some of them.

To participate as a citizen in an increasingly scientific and technological world, you must be able to evaluate information, form your own understandings and opinions, express those opinions both orally and in writing, and defend them with appropriate evidence and example. In this course you will be encouraged to do all those things.

Writing will be used extensively in this course. Writing is a critical skill not only for expressing what you think and know, but for developing your knowledge and understanding. Writing is a process and will be used in this course to help you figure out what you think, what you know, and what you don't know. Reading and writing are critical tools in this class.

COURSE GOALS:

Goal 1: You should be able to identify the ways in which science and technology are shaped by and help to shape society and culture.

Goal 2: You should be able to evaluate historical case studies and apply the knowledge gained from such case studies to evaluating contemporary issues.

Goal 3: You should be able to weigh evidence, construct arguments, evaluate arguments, and apply these skills to the debates concerning contemporary issues in science and technology.

Goal 4: You should be able to formulate and clearly express, both orally and in writing, your own position on contemporary issues in science and technology, supporting your position with evidence and example as well as logically consistent and fully developed argumentation.

ACHIEVING THE COURSE GOALS:

Goals 1 & 2: For most of you, much of the material in this course will be new. I will use reading, lecture, film, discussion, and group activities to explore examples--both historical and contemporary--and to develop the skills to identify and evaluate the choices, access limitations, risks, costs, responsibilities, and benefits associated with scientific and technological developments.

There is no substitute for coming to class prepared. You must do--and think about--the assigned reading before you come to class. And you must be present on a regular basis.

Goals 3 & 4: Discussion, current events assignments, reading responses, position papers, and class debates will provide numerous opportunities to develop and practice these skills.

EXPECTED RESULTS:

At the end of the course you should be able to demonstrate:

• an ability to identify and evaluate competing views and the information supporting them.

• an ability to formulate your own opinions on complex issues and to communicate your views clearly in both written and oral formats, and to support your position with relevant evidence.

• an understanding of the ways in which science and technology have been shaped by, and have helped to shape, society and culture.

• an improved understanding of the scientific disciplines and technologies relevant to your major.

GRADING

Grading is an inherently subjective process. I don't count up mistakes, or deviations from some ideal Right Answer, and deduct points accordingly. Instead, I try to assess two things:

1. How broad, deep, and solid is your understanding of the material?

2. How effectively do you use that material in meeting the demands of the assignment?

I start from the assumption that work fulfilling the basic requirements of the assignment and showing a basic grasp of the material is “C” work. “D” work fails on one count or the other. “F” work fails on both counts, or catastrophically on one. “B” and “A” work rise above the minimal requirements and demonstrate mastery of the material. My grading (all done with numbers, not letters) is based on these definitions.

90% and up = A

80-89% = B

70-79% = C

60-69% = D

I make every effort to grade and return assignments promptly. Once an assignment is returned, please bring any clerical errors to my attention promptly. For questions of interpretation or other more complicated issues, I ask that you wait 24 hours and then please do come and discuss your concerns. The wait gives you time to think through what you want to ask or argue and be sure that you understand the feedback on your work.

Please retain copies of all your graded work. I will periodically supply you with a copy of your scores as they appear in my computer. It is your responsibility to bring any recording errors to my attention, and you will need your graded work as documentation.

The Grading Scale is as follows:

Maximum Points Possible:

60 points (25%) Attendance

60 points (25%) Reading Responses

60 points (25%) Current Events Articles

30 points (12.5%) Position Paper

30 points (12.5%) Class Debates and Debate Evaluations

240 total points possible (not including extra credit)

216-or more = A (89.5% and above)

192-215 = B (79.5-89.4%)

168-191 = C (69.5-79.4%)

144-167 = D (59.5-69.4%)

143 or below = F (below 59.5%)

ATTENDANCE (60 points—25% of your grade)

Participation in the give-and-take of class is an important part of this course. You will be responsible for all material covered in class whether you are there or not. I expect you to be in class--on time--and stay until the end of the period. I will take attendance. Coming late or leaving early will get you a partial absence, and three partial absences will count as an absence.

15 class meetings @ 4 points each = 60 points

WebCT

The WebCT Site is set up to help you. It will provide you with the following anytime you have access to the internet:

• An e-mail connection to anybody taking this course with me this semester and to me
• One-stop shopping for information and resources for this class
• A discussion bulletin board open to the entire class so you can continue (or get a head-start on) the discussions we'll have in class.
• A debate team bulletin board where you can communicate with your partners without being "overheard" by anyone else. (These will be set up in early March.)
• Reminders about critical announcements from class.
• A course calendar--all the critical info from class, info about related television programs and community events. And you can customize it--what you post nobody sees but you. Use it to keep info about the rest of your life, too!
• Random extra credit opportunities--not a lot, but enough to keep it interesting!

BUT none of that will be available to you if you don't try WebCT. You have until midnight on January 21st to do the following: get into WebCT, find the question I posted on the bulletin board and return your answer to me by WebCT email. It's the first WebCT extra credit opportunity!

ANALYSIS TOOL

Throughout the course, we will use the following questions to help us understand what is going on when scientific and technological choices are being made--and they are being made all the time. Whenever you read or write or listen or discuss in this class be thinking about the following:

• CHOICE--what choices are being made and who is doing the choosing

• ACCESS--how and why access to knowledge or technology is controlled and distributed

• RISK--what risks are involved and how they are defined, measured, and weighed; whether those at risk are involved in the decision making process

• COST--what costs (economic, environmental, social, etc.) are involved and how they are defined, measured, and weighed; whether those bearing the costs are involved in the decision making process

• RESPONSIBILITY--what issues of individual, professional, social, or governmental responsibility are involved

• BENEFITS-- what the benefits of the various options are; whether those gaining the benefits make the choices, bear the responsibility, accrue the costs, or take the risk; whether the benefits are widely or narrowly distributed

There is an expanded version of this analysis tool available on-line.

READING RESPONSES (5 @ 12 = 60 points—25% of your grade)

For each of the five reading assignments, you must bring to class ON THE DAY THE ASSIGNMENT IS DUE an essay evaluating the assigned reading.

Writing up your thoughts about the readings will help you come to class prepared to participate and give me some way to document that you are doing the readings. Focus primarily on responding to particular arguments that you find interesting or troubling, comparing the current material to material we've previously covered or to current events, and evaluating the evidence offered.

Be sure to indicate both the problems you see with the reading (criticism) and the contributions it makes to our understanding (appreciation).

Bring two copies of your reading response to class--one to turn in and one to keep so you'll remember what you prepared to contribute to the class proceedings. It must be typed, double-spaced with one-inch margins.

On-time assignments will be graded based on the following:

ASSIGNMENT & MECHANICS: Did fulfill the assignment you were given (all parts)? Was your work relatively free of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. Did you follow the directions?

EVIDENCE: Did you support your statements with evidence from the readings / class / experience / current events? BE SURE all quotations and other borrowings are properly credited and use your own words whenever possible

ANALYSIS: Depth of argument / critical thinking / original ideas / logic / synthesis

Assignments just fulfilling the basic requirements of the assignment and showing a basic grasp of the material are “C” work and should expect an approximate score of 7 points of the 10 maximum points possible. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS will be accepted. If your work is done but you can't get here, send it as an email attachment or a fax.

CURRENT EVENTS ARTICLES (4 @ 15 = 60 points—25% of your grade)

You will need to bring to class an article relevant to the assigned topic for the day. Articles must have been published or posted on the web within six months of the date they are turned in and must deal with an event no more than five years old. (Watch out for reprints and web postings of published material--I'll go by the original date of publication. If you can't give me evidence of the posting date for a web source, I won't grade your paper.)

You must turn in a complete copy of the article to which you must attach 1-2 pages of analysis which must include the following:

• A brief summary of the main point(s) of the article. This should be no more than one paragraph.
• An explicit indication of how it is related to the assigned topic for the week.
• An explicit indication of how it is related to "control of nature." "Control of Nature" is defined as human activities, intentional or unintentional, that modify the physical environment or biological systems. I expect you to meet the spirit as well as the letter of this definition.
• An evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the article as a source of information on your topic.
• A full citation for your article. (Does not need to be annotated.) MUST be written out at the end of your work.

Bring two copies of your article and analysis to class--one to turn in and one to keep so you'll remember what you prepared to contribute to the class proceedings.

On-time assignments will be graded based on the following:

ASSIGNMENT & MECHANICS: Did you fulfill the assignment you were given (all parts)? Was your work relatively free of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. Did you follow the directions?

EVIDENCE: Did you support your statements with evidence from the readings / class / article? BE SURE all quotations and other borrowings are properly credited and use your own words whenever possible

ANALYSIS: Depth of argument / critical thinking / original ideas / logic / synthesis

Assignments just fulfilling the basic requirements of the assignment and showing a basic grasp of the material are “C” work and should expect an approximate score of 10.5 points of the 15 maximum points possible. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS will be accepted. If your work is done but you can't get here, send it as an email attachment or a fax.

CLASS DEBATES (30 points = 12.5% of your grade)

You will be required to participate in one in-class debate. You will be part of a team and may choose your date/topic on a first-come first-served basis. Any student who has not chosen a date/topic by midnight on 3/7/00 will be assigned a date/topic.

You will be asked to evaluate the oral presentations of your classmates--primarily for clarity and degree to which they increase your understanding of the topic. You will also be asked to evaluate your own team.

Debates will be graded as follows:
Debate Evaluation: 15 points (2 @ 3.5 points; 1 @ 8 points)
Debate Participation: 15 points

TOTAL POINTS 30 points

POSITION PAPER (30 points = 12.5% of your grade)

A position paper is just what its name suggests--a paper that provides a compact summary of your position on a particular issue. In this case, the issue will be the one that you and your team will be debating. Your position paper may use any writing style (within reason) that you're comfortable with, but it must include the following:

• Your name
• The topic of your debate and the side (pro/con) your team will argue
• Three or four of the main arguments for your side. These should be clearly distinguished from one another. Make each one a separate paragraph or section, rather than blending them together (even if that's what you'll do in the debate). Describe each one in enough detail to make your point clear, but don't feel that you have to give every supporting example you have. (10 points)
• The arguments you think your opponents will make. You can describe these more briefly, and in more general terms, than you do your own arguments, but you should still put some thought into deciding what they're likely to be. Doing so will make you better able to respond to them in the debate. (3 points)
• The biggest weakness in your side's case. Be honest here--your opponents won't get to read it. It might be an argument for your side that you have little or no factual support for, an argument against your side that you don't have an effective response to, or a counter-example that you can't explain away. Identify it, and briefly explain why it's such a weakness. (3 points)
• An annotated bibliography of at least 10 sources; no more than half may be on-line. (10 points)

Pay attention to the directions for an annotated bibliography:

The point of a standard bibliography is to give interested readers a list of the sources you used in preparing whatever project (book, paper, presentation) it's attached to. The entries in a standard bibliography should include enough information for the reader to actually find the sources you used.

An annotated bibliography goes a step further. It adds, to each entry, two or three brief sentences that critically evaluate the source. A critical evaluation should give your readers a sense of the work's contents and of its utility (or lack of utility) in understanding the subject. Be sure to see the examples on page 9.

Your position paper, like everything else you write for this class, should be typed or computer-printed. It should be about 3-4 pages NOT including the bibliography. Position papers for all participants will be due before the debate begins, so bring two copies (one to turn in and one to use).

You may (and should) discuss the content of your position paper with other members of your team, but the document you turn in must be your own work, written in your own words. Submission of another's work, represented as your own, constitutes Academic Dishonesty (see below).

ASSIGNMENT & MECHANICS: Did fulfill the assignment you were given (all parts)? Was your work relatively free of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. Did you follow the directions? You MUST include complete citations. Web sources MUST include the http address and date of posting.

EVIDENCE: Did you support your statements with evidence from the readings / class / article? BE SURE all quotations and other borrowings are properly credited and use your own words whenever possible

ANALYSIS: Depth of argument / critical thinking / original ideas / logic / synthesis

Assignments just fulfilling the basic requirements of the assignment and showing a basic grasp of the material are “C” work and should expect an approximate score of 21 points of the 30 maximum points possible.

RELATION TO MAJOR FORM

It is a requirement in all STS 2400 sections that one of your papers or your debate be related to your major and one be outside your major. You must demonstrate that you have met this requirement by completing a “Relation to Major Form” and turning it in. I will provide the form and it is available in the PDF Forms section of the WebCT page. You need to fill one out (explain which assignments you think meet this requirement and why) and turn it in. You should demonstrate, with argument and example / evidence, the basis for your claims.

I will return the form to you marked “approved” or “not approved.” Do not expect automatic approval—you may be required to revise or strengthen your arguments. You must have an approved “Relation to Major” form by the time I turn in final grades or your final grade will be reduced by one full letter grade. (HINT: DON'T leave this until the last minute.)

ON TIME

Assignments for this course are part of being prepared for class and may not be turned in late for credit. If you must be absent on the day you planned to turn in an assignment, submit it by fax (770-528-4949) or email (jnewell@spsu.edu) by the time your class would normally end and on the day on which it was due. (For current events articles, turn in another copy of the analysis with the article attached at the next class meeting.) In cases of extreme and documented emergency, discuss your situation with me as soon as possible. Leaving things until the last minute and then having a computer failure isn't an emergency, it's poor planning.

DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR AND ACADEMIC DISHONESTY

In accord with the Academic Regulations of Southern Polytechnic State University, “A faculty member reserves the right to remove any student from his or her course if the student's behavior is of a disruptive nature or where there is evidence of academic dishonesty (SPSU Undergraduate Catalog 1999-2000, p. 55-56). Be sure you've read the section of the Student Life Regulations on Academic Dishonesty (SPSU Undergraduate Catalog 1999-2000, p. 70).

STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities who believe they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact the counselor working with disabilities at (770) 528-7226 as soon as possible to better assure that such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

WRITING CITATIONS

My rule for evaluating a citation is as follows: does it provide enough information to allow the reader to return to the original source? If so, then the citation is complete. At a minimum, citations must contain the following PLUS an indication of exactly where specific information used in quotations comes from:

Article in a journal: Author (if identified), title of the article, title of the publication, volume and number ( if given), date of publication, page(s) on which the article appears.

Article in a newspaper: Author (if identified), title of the article, title of the publication, date of publication, section(s) and page(s) on which the article appears.

Article in a book: Author, title of the article, editors of the book, title of the book, place of publication, publisher, date of publication, and pages on which the article appears.

Book: Author, Title, Place of Publication, Publisher, and date of publication.

Information from the internet: the http address and name of the web site, the date posted or last updated (if given), the date you accessed the material, the author (if given), and the title. (If you are using the web version of a journal or newspaper article, say so and use those formats as a guide for what you should include—but don't forget the http!)

Examples (please note: these are annotated citations; you only need annotations in your annotated bibliography):

Benedict, Howard (AP). "Space Shuttle Explodes; 7 Crew Members Perish." The Capital Times (Madison, WI), 28 January 1996, section 1, p. 1 & 10. First AP-wire story on the disaster, including initial reactions from NASA officials, President Reagan, and others. Sketchy content reflects initial confusion about the cause of the explosion.

Federation of American Scientists Space Policy Project. “51-l: The Challenger Disaster.” http://www.fas.org/spp/51L.html. Updated 2/9/97. Accessed 5/24/99. Brief description of the disaster and its causes, focusing on technical rather than human factors. Includes links to the report of the Rogers Commission.

HoustonChronicle.Com. "Reagan's Remarks: January 28, 1986." www.chron.com/content/interactive/special/challenger/docs/reagan.html Accessed 5/24/99. Full text of President Ronald Reagan's televised address to the nation on the night of the disaster. Includes the ironic-in-retrospect comment that Challenger's crew "knew the risks they took." [NOTE: This web site gives no posting date and would be ineligible for the annotated article assignments.]

Magnuson, Ed. “Fixing NASA.” Time, 9 June 1986, pp. 14-25. Comprehensive survey of opinions on NASA's post-Challenger future in the wake of the Rogers Commission report. Interviews include scientists, astronauts, NASA officials, critics.

McConnell, Malcolm. Challenger: A Major Malfunction. New York: Doubleday, 1987. Detailed, investigative-reporting-style analysis of the disaster, which it links to design compromises in the shuttle and political compromises by NASA leaders. Charges NASA officials with cynical, arrogant disregard of obvious safety problems

Vaughn, Diane. The Challenger Launch Decision. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Detailed, step-by-step sociological analysis of how and why the launch decision was made. Sees disaster as result of a NASA-wide culture that used successful launches to justify greater risks. Rejects “Evil Manager” theories of McConnell and others.

Washington Post Staff. Challengers: The Inspiring Life Stories of the Seven Brave Astronauts of Shuttle Mission 51-L. New York: Pocket Books, 1986. The subtitle says it all: Earnest, reverent biographies of the seven dead crew members. Ends with the explosion. Conclusion is all we-must-go-on rhetoric and no analysis.

Campus Policy on Hazardous Weather

From: Ann Watson

Public Relations Director

Re: Hazardous Weather information

Deciding which TV weather forecaster is actually right can be a hazardous wintertime activity. Deciding whether to head for campus or stay put at home is somewhat easier. Most of metropolitan Atlanta's broadcast stations give regular school and business updates when winter weather threatens safety and, sometimes, sanity on the highways. As soon as decisions are made in regards to campus closings or delays, Southern Polytechnic's Public Relations Department programs the general campus telephone number, 770/528-7200, with the appropriate information. Public Relations also promptly notifies selected radio and television stations of changes in campus activities after decisions are made to delay or cancel classes and regular department hours. Although there are sometimes mistakes or delays in updating information on air, due to numerous calls coming in simultaneously to harried personnel at stations, information is generally timely and accurate. Participating stations maintain a confidential code communication system designed to prevent unauthorized sources from providing information. The following stations are on such a notification system and are contacted. In case of weather conditions that could affect campus activity, please tune in to these stations for updates on a regular basis. Special attention is given to having information available in the early morning, noon and late evening news hours.

Radio

* WGST (640 AM AND 105.7 FM)

* WKHX (590 AM/101.5 FM)

* WSB (750 AM AND 98.5 FM)

* WSTR-STAR 94 (94.1 FM)

* WZGC-Z93 (92.9 FM)

* WPCH (94.9 FM)

* WGHR (102.5 FM)-campus radio station

Television

* WSB-TV, Channel 2

* WAGA-TV, Channel 5

* WXIA-TV, Channel 11

* WGNX-TV, Channel 46

Weather philosophy in this class:

I listen to the weather and traffic reports each morning as I, too, drive in. When, in my judgement, there are conditions that would create serious delays in commuting, I reserve the right to issue a generally amnesty on partial absences for late arrivals. Get here if you can, when you can, safely. If you have a really special situation, a message on my voice mail and a timely visit to my office to go a long way toward convincing me.

If campus is closed when we should be meeting, stick to the schedule and watch WebCT for updates from me.

SCHEDULE FOR SPRING 2000

ALL READING SHOULD BE DONE BEFORE THE CLASS FOR WHICH IT IS ASSIGNED.

R = READING RESPONSE DUE A = ANNOTATED CLIPPING DUE

EXTRA CREDIT

You may earn extra credit in this course in only the following ways:

1. Do your WebCT check-in no later than 1/21/00
2. Show up in class on the last day, and do course evaluations.
3. Find the random extra credit on the WebCT page.
4. Volunteer to help at the Science Olympiad competition on campus on Saturday, February 18. You can earn a maximum of 15 points--but if you commit to come, don't show, and can't document an emergency, you lose 5 points.