Technology
& Society
ENG/BIO/PSY/HUM/GOV
314
From Science Fiction to
Science Fact
Instructor: Dr. Cynthia Jenéy
Office:
S/SC 222K
Phone:
271-4447
Email:
jeney@missouriwestern.edu
Office
Hours: MW
WebBoard:
http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~technology&society
Required Textbooks:
Forward,
R. Indistinguishable From Magic.
Lee,
Tanith. Biting The Sun.
Pohl,
Frederick (Ed.). SFWA Grand Masters, Volume 2.
Required Materials
-
A working MWSC email account to
which you know the exact address.
-
3.5” PC-formatted floppy diskettes (at
least 3, labeled with your name & Eng. 301)
These are for assignments only,
not for miscellaneous files.
Recommended:
-
Zip disk and/or CD-RW’s (at least 2 or 3
with jewel-box covers). Zips will be returned, but store only your
assignments for this class on them (not miscellaneous files).
-
A good college dictionary
-
A good style handbook (MLA, APA, AP)
Course
Objectives:
This discussion format course will examine ways in
which science fiction reflects, challenges, criticizes, celebrates, and even
influences the way our society uses – and perhaps is “used” by – science and
technology.
Prerequisites: Completion of Category One—Basic
Skills Gen. Studies Courses.
About the course:
This course will be conducted as a reading, writing, and discussion forum in
which we will explore issues in technology and science addressed in science
fiction literature and film.
Grading - Grades will be determined by the
following:
A. Weekly reading quizzes (= 20% of
grade). Each class period will begin with a short reading quiz.
B.
Weekly discussion questions (= 10% of grade). For each reading assignment, you
will submit five thoughtful questions that can be used effectively as
prompts in class discussion.
C. Active participation in class
discussions (= 15% of grade). You should participate frequently and
conspicuously in class discussions.
D. Web-site annotations (= 15% of
grade). Each week you will locate and evaluate one science news story or web
site on the web related to the science/technology topic for that week. You will
post your evaluation to the class WebBoard:
http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~technology&society.
E. Four essays (= 40% of grade). You
will write four essays in the course of the semester. Three will concern the
three major issues of technology and human society, comparing science fiction
with science fact. A final essay, written in class during the final exam
period, will address the question of the place of technologies in human life.
Each essay must be at least 5 double-spaced pages in 12 point font. You should
post a copy by to the class WebBoard
(http://miranda.cailab.mwsc.edu:8080/~technology&society) before the
due date and submit a hard copy to the instructor at the beginning of class.
Class meetings: Class meetings of upper
division courses are conducted under the assumption that students are
well-versed in the conventions of college classrooms and academic
environments. Come to class prepared,
and plan to participate and remain engaged with the materials for the entire
class period. In the unlikely and
unfortunate event that you find yourself unprepared, come anyway, but I expect
you to arrive doubly-prepared the next time. Should the situation become
chronic, you may wish to re-examine your priorities for the semester, as this
is a writing- and participation-intensive course.
This Syllabus: Read this syllabus very
carefully, and refer to it often. All information presented here is regarded as
part of your own knowledge. All answers to your questions about the class will
be based on an assumption that you understand the syllabus and seek further
clarification. The teacher reserves the right to alter this syllabus and to
make announced changes as need arises during the course of the semester.
Attendance: A student with more than 2
(one class meeting/week) unexcused absences will automatically be given a
failing grade for the course. It is your
responsibility to keep track of your own attendance in the class. Please see
the student handbook for the definition of "excused absence" (i.e., I
do not wish to see doctor's excuses or obituaries). If you miss class it is your responsibility
to contact a classmate (and of course refer to the class schedule) regarding
announcements, assignments, changes, class notes, and additional readings or
writing.
Students
who consult with me in advance of known conflicts will be given the option
of pre-arranged make-up work on a
case-by-case basis. DO contact me in the event of unforeseen hardships and
illnesses. Serious efforts to complete the work for this class will be given
fair consideration, especially in cases of earnest dedication and hard work.
Note:
Weddings and trips to Baja do not
constitute “hardships” or “emergencies.”
Contacting
the Instructor: Email is a wonderful thing. It does not, however, replace class
attendance. Emails asking “What did I miss?” are inappropriate in the college
setting. (The answer, by the way, is “You missed class.”) Email or telephone
your instructor when:
Electronic Forum: Each student will be
required to post various written assignments to the class electronic forum.
Posts to the forum will be full-length drafts, peer critiques, summaries,
analytical questions, and commentaries, based upon the reading and writing
assignments in the class. All members of the class will have posting and
reading access to the forum on the web, but may also choose the additional
option of receiving posts via email (posts will always remain on the web site).
Although the forum works technically like an email listserv and web-board, it is not to be used for
“Yeah, man. I agree” type messages.
You
must have a stable college email
account established in order to satisfy this writing requirement for the
course. Do not shift around with Yahoo and Hotmail account subscriptions when
logging into the WebBoard, as this will confuse the moderator, and possibly
cause her to delete your membership accidentally. As moderator, I will do my
best to insure that you do not receive advertising or other unwanted messages
in your account. Expect the usual glitches and snafu’s when first getting
subscribed to the electronic discussion group. I tend to use different
technologies as time goes by, and as internet services evolve. I will try to
make it as painless and easy as possible for you, but there is a certain amount
of meticulous attention required at the outset, in order to get the forum up
and running efficiently for us all.
Assignments:
The assignments scheduled for this class are weighted by percentage toward the
final grade. They are minimum requirements for passing the course. Failure to
complete one or more of them will result in a failing grade. One assignment may
be revised and resubmitted, should you wish to improve an assignment grade.
Revisions:
Each student may, after consulting with the instructor, revise and resubmit one
assignment during the semester, should s/he wish for an improved assignment grade.
I do not guarantee an improved grade when an assignment is resubmitted, but I
do guarantee that I will not lower the original grade given for that
assignment, should the revision somehow take a turn for the worse.
A
note about the writing in this course: although we will all encourage each
other to be open and to explore ideas, experiences, thoughts, emotions, and
beliefs, assignment drafts and electronic WebBoard posts shall be
considered public texts. Therefore I have a strict policy against writing
about any un-prosecuted crime or suspected illegal activity which you have
witnessed, or in which you have been involved. When in doubt, I will always err
on the side of safety.
Grading:
I expect project assignments to reflect principles and concepts learned in
class and in the reading. However, I also reward experimentation, for those who
have demonstrated competence in the primary skills and theories we are
learning. If you want to try an unconventional approach to your paper or
project, please see me with a draft and explain what you are attempting, so I
will be able to help you succeed with the assignment.
Academic honesty: “Electronic and Online Communication” is NOT about cutting and pasting
other people’s web sites or electronic posts to UseNet or listservs and handing
them in as our own!
“Since honesty in the classroom is required, cheating,
plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the college
constitutes a violation.” Policy Guide II, B, C. In short, the work you turn in
must be your own.
Disabilities: Any student in this course
who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should
contact the MWSC Special Needs Office as soon as possible so that we can
discuss alternative ways to satisfy class requirements: Coordinator:
Lois
E. Fox
Location:
SS/C Building, Room 202
Office
Hours:
Phone:
(816) 271-4330
Planned Class
Schedule
(subject to change as need arises) |
||
|
M |
24 |
Hitchhiker’s
Guide: Don’t Panic |
|
W |
26 |
“Mousetrap”
SFWA Grand Masters (SFWAGM) 18-24; |
|
F |
28 |
“Technological
Vulnerability” Martin Technology and the Future (T&F)
172-183 |
|
M |
31 |
“It’s Such a
Beautiful Day” SFWAGM 224-247
|
|
FEBRUARY |
||
|
W |
2 |
“The
|
|
F |
4 |
“Can Technology Replace Social Engineering?”
Weinberg; T&F 23-30 “Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer” |
|
M |
7 |
Harrison
Bergeron
|
|
W |
9 |
Harrison
Bergeron
|
|
F |
11 |
Harrison Bergeron; “Does Improved
Technology Mean Progress?” Marx T&F 3-12; “How Society Shapes Technology” Pool T&F
13-22 |
|
M |
14 |
“Strikebreaker” SFWAGM
248-262 |
|
W |
16 |
“Disappearing Act”
SFWAGM 315-333 |
|
F |
18 |
“How
Society Shapes Technology” Pool T&F
13-22
|
|
M |
21 |
PRESIDENTS DAY—NO
CLASS MEETING |
|
W |
23 |
“Fondly Fahrenheit” SFWAGM 334-355 |
|
F |
25 |
“Technology and
the Tragic View” T&F 37-45; “Can Technology Be Humane?” Goodman
78-90; Optional:
“Computing machinery and intelligence” - A. M. Turing http://www.abelard.org/turpap/turpap.htm |
|
M |
28 |
Bicentennial Man
|
|
MARCH |
||
|
W |
2 |
Bicentennial Man
|
|
F |
4 |
Bicentennial
Man; “Technological
Politics As If Democracy Really Mattered” Clove T&F 91-108 |
|
M |
7 |
“The Star” SFWAGM 151-157; “Rescue
Party” SFWA Grand Masters (SFWAGM) 115-142 |
|
W |
9 |
“The Last
Question” SFWAGM 210-223 |
|
F |
11 |
“Remarks by the
President on Stem Cell Research” GW Bush T&F 196-199; “Hard Cell: A Commentary on the President’s
Stem Cell Address” Murray T&F 200-208 |
|
M |
14 |
SPRING BREAK—NO
CLASS MEETING |
|
W |
16 |
SPRING BREAK—NO
CLASS MEETING |
|
F |
18 |
SPRING BREAK—NO
CLASS MEETING |
|
M |
21 |
Don’t Bite the
Sun 1-69 |
|
W |
23 |
Don’t Bite the
Sun 70-100 |
|
F |
25 |
Don’t Bite the
Sun 101-122; Science—News
in Environmental Technologies |
|
M |
28 |
Don’t Bite the
Sun 123-167 |
|
W |
30 |
“Buddhist Economics” Schumacher T&F
71-77 |
|
APRIL |
||
|
F |
1 |
Science—News in
Artificial Intelligence |
|
M |
4 |
The Ship Who
Sang (Excerpt) by Anne McCaffrey http://www.scifi.com/scifiction/classics/classics_archive/mccaffrey/mccaffrey1.html (distribute
Handout: Cyborg Citizen) |
|
W |
6 |
Handout (excerpt) Cyborg
Citizen |
|
F |
8 |
Science—News in
Everyday Technologies |
|
M |
11 |
“The Secret” SFWAGM
143-148; |
|
W |
13 |
“All Cats Are
Gray” SFWAGM 58-64 |
|
F |
15 |
Science—News in
Biomedical Technologies |
|
M |
18 |
“Hobson’s Choice”
378-393 |
|
W |
20 |
“The City”
SFWAGM 399-406” |
|
F |
22 |
Science—News in
Military Technology “The Logistics of
Techno-War” Rochlin T&F 276-292;
“Terrorism and Brittle Technology” Lovins and Lovins; T&F 167-171;
Optional: “Biological Warfare and the Buffy Paradigm” Cordesman:
http://www.csis.org/burke/hd/reports/Buffy012902.pdf |
|
M |
25 |
|
|
W |
27 |
“The Million-Year
Picnic” 407-416; “There Will Come Soft
Rains” 423-429 SFWAGM |
|
F |
29 |
Science—News in
Future Technologies |
|
MAY |
||
|
M |
2 |
Open |
|
W |
4 |
FINAL EXAM |