Course Development Grants

ST 112 Science, Technology, and Society

Spring 2010

“We learn by doing” — Aristotle

Instructor Office Phone E-mail Office Hours James R. Fleming 310 Mudd 5881 jfleming T/Th 4-5 pm or by appt.

Meetings: T, Th 2:30-3:45pm in Miller 14, plus extra-credit events

Course Web Page: http://www.colby.edu/sts/st112_2010

Objectives This course will provide you with an introduction to the interactions of science, technology and society. One objective is to develop a sensitivity to and an awareness of the pervasive influences of science and technology on our lives and in the world around us. A second objective is to introduce disciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of these influences, specifically by studying the history and social dimensions of particular issues, their scientific and technical aspects, and by debating the often-controversial ethical choices they present us. A third objective is to develop skills in discussion, analysis, research, writing, and presentation in this interdisciplinary field. This course fulfills the social science (S) distribution requirement.

Format Lectures, readings, discussions, guest speakers, short “think pieces,” two team projects presented in poster sessions, and two research-oriented essays. Your input, through regular attendance, active discussion, and group participation, is crucial to making the course work.

Evaluation Class attendance and active discussion (20 percent) Eight critical 2-page think pieces (30 percent) Midterm team poster presentation (10 percent) and individual 5-7 page essay (15 percent) Final team poster presentation (10 percent) and individual 5-7 page essay (15 percent) Extra credit events—a 1-page critical writeup (not a summary) is due at the next class

Required purchases Technology Matters, David E. Nye. MIT Press, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-0262140935 Frankenstein. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Broadview Press, 1999. ISBN: 1551113082. Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited. Aldous Huxley. Harper Perennial, 2005. ISBN-13: 978-0060776091. The Scientific Revolution. Steven Shapin. Chicago, 1998. ISBN-13: 978-0226750217 The Two Cultures. C. P. Snow. Cambridge, 1993. ISBN-13: 978-0521457309 2

White Noise. Don DeLillo. New York: Penguin, 1999. ISBN: 0140283307 3

Schedule

Date Topic and Assignment

2/4 What is STS?

2/9 Basic Questions and Brainstorming-- read Technology Matters 1-3 2/11 Discussion, TP #1 due

2/16 The Two Cultures, C.P. Snow and Technology Matters 4 Poster teams for March 18th assigned by groups of 3 2/18 Poster teams meet, start reading Shapin’s Scientific Revolution

2/23 Scientific Revolution, Steven Shapin 2/25 Discussion, TP #2 due

3/2 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley 3/2 EC 4:00 pm in the Parker Reed Room of the Alumni Center Scone Fest III (with tea, scones, clotted cream, and white linens) Elizabeth Finch, Lunder Curator of American Art, Colby Museum of Art An Artist at MIT: Gyorgy Kepes and the Center for Advanced Visual Studies 3/4 Discussion, TP #3 due

3/9 Culture and the Workplace, Technology Matters 5 and 7 3/11 Chaplin, Modern Times and Lang, Metropolis, TP #4 due

3/16 Focus on Gender, readings TBA 3/16 EC 4:00 pm in Miller 14 Dr. Marits Ertsen, Univ. of Delft, Netherlands, Irrigation 3/18 Poster session #1: Impressions of STS (12 teams of 3), 5-7 page essay #1 due

3/22 Week of Spring Break

3/30 Brave New World and Brave New World Revisited, Aldous Huxley 4/1 Discussion, TP #5 due, Poster teams for May 6th organize by groups of 3

4/6 Biotech, Technology Matters 11 and readings TBA 4/8 Discussion, TP #6 due 4/8 EC 7:00 pm in Ostrove Auditorium, Diamond Margaret Geller and Scott Kenyon, Two Personal Views of the Universe

4/13 Nanotech, Robots and Cybernetics, readings TBA 4/15 EC noontime lunch in Dana Fairchild Private Dining Room Teasel Muir Harmony, STS Program at MIT MIT graduate students rock! A discussion of graduate school challenges and opportunities in STS 4

4/15 Discussion, poster and final essay topics and proposals due (this is TP #7) 4/15 EC 4:00 pm in Miller 14 Teasel Muir Harmony, From Spacecraft to Icon: Friendship 7’s Second Mission

4/20 Climate Change and Geotech readings TBA 4/22 Discussion, TP #8 due

4/27 White Noise, Don DeLillo 4/29 Discussion, poster teams meet TBA RSVP 4:00 pm STS seniors poster session and 6:00 gala STS end-of-the-year banquet in Parker Reed Room, Alumni Center Banquet keynote address by Dale Potts, on artist and inventor Rufus Porter

5/4 Envirotech, Technology Matters 6 and readings TBA 5/6 Final poster session #2: Yesterday, today, and tomorrow (11 teams of 3) and course wrap up

5/13 5-page essay #2 due (no exceptions)

Attendance Your active participation in class is very important and regular attendance is required. Come to class having done the assigned reading, with your think pieces ready to hand in, and prepared to discuss the issues. If you have an official conflict (medical or dean’s excuse needed), and must miss class, you may write an extra two-page think piece on an appropriate topic, due at the next class meeting when you return.

Think Pieces There are 8 “Think Pieces” due as marked in the schedule. These are critical 2-page papers, based on a specific aspect of the assigned readings or topic at hand. Each piece must have a clear thesis or well-developed point of view and represent your own opinion—it cannot be just a summary of the readings or class materials. No late papers will be accepted since they will be discussed in class. • Important: Put your name and campus address in upper right of paper for quick return. • Two pages is the limit. • Print back-to-back or staple. • Give your paper a snappy title. • Develop a thematic argument with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. • Avoid generalities and avoid trying to accomplish too much in two pages. • State the thesis of the paper in the first paragraph. • Develop your argument and give an example or two if appropriate. • Develop your ability to express yourself verbally and in print. • End with a strong, memorable conclusion. • Spell-check, grammar-check, and idea-check your paper. • Read your paper aloud to a friend and discuss it, then revise it before handing it in. • Be proud of your language skills: Clear thinking and clear writing go hand-in-hand. 5

Research Paper Proposal State clearly what you plan to do, why it is important and relevant to STS, and how you plan to conduct the research. The sections of a good proposal include, Title, Thesis statement, Description, Tentative Outline, and Bibliography. Proposals will be subject to a gentle peer review in class. Length about 2-3 pages. Due date: April 15.

Papers: Two 5-7 page papers are due. The first, a creative exploration of some aspect of STS that you find interesting and important, is due March 18 and the second a research paper on the past, present and future of an STS-related issue of your choice is due on May 13. See the Guide to Research Papers below for additional details. In your writing, you should focus on a particular topic, ask critical questions, present a clear theme or thesis, marshal supporting evidence and opinions, and provide clear and reasoned answers to your questions. Papers must be thoroughly documented using any major style. Your papers must demonstrate your engagement with a topic and represent your own opinions and conclusions, not just repeat those of others.

Team Posters: The goals of this assignment are creative thinking, assessment, synthesis, understanding, teamwork, and effective communication via oral presentations and posters. Your results, based on the papers assigned above, must be printed by Monday, March 15 and Monday May 3 and will be presented in poster sessions on Thursday, March 18 and Thursday, May 6 in the Parker Reed Room of the Alumni Center. Teams of three students will coordinate their results in a single poster representing their creative exploration of some aspect of STS that they collectively find interesting and important. The posters will be discussed before an audience of your fellow students during class, with each team member further discussing and documenting their work in 5-7 page essays.

Your team will meet together both in and outside of class to prepare materials and will be responsible for designing and printing a group poster in advance of the session. Images, text, and short bibliography are necessary, as are neatness and creativity, but substance is more important than glitz. Please provide photo credits and avoid using restricted materials. Individuals and teams will also complete evaluation forms concerning their engagement in the process. The final electronic version of your poster must be mailed to me, [email protected] when the poster is printed.

Guidelines and support for creating and printing your posters are available from ITS from Quili Wang ([email protected]) at the following URL: http://www.colby.edu/lrc/poster.php . Poster files that are too large for email can be submitted for printing using the Colby drop box service: https://www.colby.edu/dropbox/dropoff.php . Please note that in box #2 (Information about the Recipient), the entire email address must be entered including the @colby.edu part, [email protected] and [email protected]

Extra Credit We will have extra credit events marked “EC” in the syllabus. These events are all STS-related. There will be a sign-up sheet circulating at each event. It is your responsibility to sign your name legibly (for half credit) and to submit a 1-page critical write up due the next class period (if you want full credit for attending). Please feel free to speak up and ask questions! These events are for your benefit. 6

A Guide to Research Papers*

References may be of any major style, consistently applied.

'A' Quality Papers • Have a clearly stated thesis and provide some unique or value-added ideas based on your research. These papers represent a synthesis of material that goes beyond a mere summary. • Have excellent structure that leads the reader naturally from one topic to the next. The introduction and conclusion not only define the problem or issue and summarize the conclusions, but also provide a guide to the overall structure of the paper. • Draw on a broad range of reference resources. These are not limited to just one type of source (e.g. books, journal articles, Internet resources). At the same time, each resource contributes to the paper. There are no useless references. References are properly cited throughout the paper. • Are free of typographical and grammatical errors (very important!). • Are of the appropriate length for the assignment and are submitted on time.

'B' Quality Papers • Provide a good summary or tutorial-style discussion of a particular topic without much original thought. • Read well, have good organization, and logical flow. A paper with unique and valuable ideas but mediocre organization and flow would be a 'B' paper. Papers that provide summarization or tutorial-style discussion would be 'B' papers provided their style and organization is acceptable. • Use adequate references, properly cited, throughout the paper. • Have occasional, but not pervasive, grammatical and typographic errors. • Are not of appropriate length or are late one day.

'C' Quality Papers and below • Have some of the shortcomings of 'B' papers and: • Have no clear thesis, no unique or interesting ideas, poor organization and flow, lack of supporting evidence, and/or faulty grammar. • Contain minimal references or over-reliance on a few references that are not cited in- properly in the paper. • Are not of appropriate length or are late more than one day.

'F' Quality Papers • Are plagiarized in part or in whole (see statement on plagiarism above). ______*Adapted from http://www.isqa.unomaha.edu/wolcott/PaperGuidelines.htm see also http://www.niu.edu/pub_ad/p326/criteria.htm

A Note on Academic Honesty: Use of other people's work without acknowledging their contribution is plagiarism and is a very serious offense. Give full credit to your sources! http://libguides.colby.edu/content.php?pid=74285&sid=649056