Gender, Race and Technology

English 1101 – Composition 1 Gender, Race and Technology Fall 2007

Instructor: Dr. Allison Whitney Email: [email protected] (best way to reach me) Office Hours: M 4:10-5:10, T 3:00-3:55, W 4:10-4:55 (or by appointment) Office Location: Skiles 315 Office Phone: 404-894-1024

Times and Locations Section G4 MWF 12:05-12:55 Skiles 317 Section L2 MWF 2:05-2:55 Mason 298 Section E5 MWF 3:05-3:55 Swann 325

Course Description The goals of this course are to enhance students' skills in written, oral, and visual communication, while also demonstrating how gender roles and notions of racial identity have influenced the invention, adoption and evolution of technology. Students will prepare for their continuing education at Georgia Tech by enhancing their critical and rhetorical proficiency; learning to analyze a text, construct and communicate a persuasive argument, and work effectively in collaboration with fellow students. Meanwhile, through our discussions of historical and sociological studies of such technologies as the telephone, the camera, the washing machine, mobile communication devices and video games, students will come to appreciate the social implications of their own roles as agents of technological change.

Required Books Barnet, Sylvan and Hugo Bedau. From Critical Thinking to Argument. 2nd Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2008.

Lunsford, Andrea A. The St. Martin’s Handbook, 6th Edition. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2008. Note: purchase the version of this book that includes access codes for the “Comment” website.

The books are available at the bookstore. Please note that you must have the current edition.

Additional readings will be made available in digital format on T-Square.

Software and Materials Writing assignments should be produced in MSWord. You may wish to use other software to prepare audio or visual components of your presentations, but this will be at your discretion. If readings are assigned for a given day, you are expected to bring your 2 textbooks and readings to class. You are also expected to have paper and pens with you in order to complete in-class assignments. Cell Phones, Computers and Things That Say Beep Turn off your cell phone, pda, iPod, and all other distraction devices in the classroom. If your phone rings or you are found to be text-messaging during class I will confiscate the device for the duration of the class period. If we are using computers during class, refrain from activities not related to the lesson (i.e. websurfing, e-mail), as this is both disrespectful and distracting to your classmates.

Non-Discrimination This class does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or status as a veteran. Alternative viewpoints are welcome; however, statements that are deemed racist, sexist, homophobic, classist, or otherwise discriminatory toward others in the class or outside the class will not be tolerated.

Accommodation Georgia Tech supports students through ADAPTS (Access Disabled Assistance Program for Tech Students). Any student who may require an accommodation for a documented disability should inform me at the beginning of the semester. Please make sure I receive a Faculty Accommodation Letter form verifying your disability and specifying the accommodation you need. Visit: Smithgall Student Services Bldg, Suite 210 at 353 Ferst Dr. Email: [email protected]. Call: 404-894-2563 (V); 404-894-1664 (TDD); 404-894-9928 (fax)

Academic Misconduct One serious kind of academic misconduct is plagiarism, which occurs when a writer, speaker, or designer deliberately uses someone else's language, ideas, images, or other original material or code without fully acknowledging its source by quotation marks as appropriate, in footnotes or endnotes, in works cited, and in other ways as appropriate (modified from WPA Statement on "Defining and Avoiding Plagiarism"). If you engage in plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment in which you have engaged in academic misconduct and be referred to the Office of Student Integrity, as required by Georgia Tech policy. I strongly urge you to be familiar with Georgia Tech’s Honor Challenge http://www.honor.gatech.edu/ as well as the Office of Student Integrity: http://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity/ You should be familiar with the process for academic misconduct: http://www.deanofstudents.gatech.edu/integrity/academic_misconduct.php

If you are ever uncertain as to whether your practices meet the standards of academic integrity, please approach me for advice before submitting your work.

Turnitin.com 3

Students must submit their final essays through http://www.turnitin.com/, an online anti- plagiarism database. Retain the e-receipt from each submission. Instructions for using this resource will be reviewed in class.

Grade Distribution Final Paper 25% Final Oral Presentation 20% Writing Assignments 20% Peer Review Exercises 10% 5-minute presentation 5% Reading quizzes 10% Participation 10%

Precise instructions for each assignment will be made available throughout the semester. In order to pass ENG 1101 you must submit all assignments, participate in group work and in-class activities and give oral presentations. Certain elements of assignments, such as preliminary drafts will not be graded; however, they must be completed. Incomplete work will result in failure. If you are faced with an emergency that prevents you from completing your work, contact me immediately. Work submitted after the time and date stated on the assignment instructions will be docked one grade point per day. Anything more than two days late (including weekends) will not be read by me and will receive a zero.

In the case of group work assignments such as oral presentations, every member of the group will receive the same grade. It is your responsibility to see that each group member contributes equally to the project. If problems arise that you cannot resolve, come and see me early in the process.

Retain digital and hard copies of all your work for this class until the final grades have been submitted. Back up your work consistently, as I do not accept “a virus ate my homework” as an excuse for late assignments.

Grade Scale I will use the standard Georgia Tech Grade Scale: A(4.0) = 90-100, B(3.0)= 80-89, C(2.0) = 70-79, D(1.0) = 60-69, F = 59 and below

Attendance You are permitted four unexcused absences from class. Five absences will lower your grade one letter grade (i.e. A becomes B), while six absences will result in a failure. I will take attendance, and you can check with me to assess your status, but it is your responsibility to keep track of your absences. If you miss a scheduled oral presentation, quiz, or other in-class assignment, you will receive a grade of zero.

If you have to be absent because of a genuine emergency, the situation must be reported to me and to the Dean of Students as soon as possible. 4

If you are going to be absent because of your commitments to a Georgia Tech athletic team, you must submit an official form in advance stating the dates of your excused absences. Regardless of the reason for your absence, you are responsible for information presented in classes you miss. Please check GA Tech’s position about class attendance: http://www.catalog.gatech.edu/rules/4b.php

Daily Schedule – Gender, Race and Technology

I reserve the right to alter this schedule in order to best meet the needs of the class. You will receive detailed instructions for each assignment well before the due date. If there are changes to the schedule, you will be notified verbally in class, and the changes will be posted on T-Square. It is your responsibility to monitor and comply with such changes. “CtoA” refers to From Critical Thinking to Argument “St. Martin’s” refers to The St. Martin’s Handbook Other readings will be made available on T-Square

Date Today’s activity Assignment due Readings to complete before class 8/20 Welcome 8/22 Discuss definitions in Brainstorm Results, CtoA pg. 48-54 groups “technology” definition St. Martin pg. 526-538, 682-694 8/24 Syllabus review Read the syllabus, review Intro to T-Square links to university policies Week 2 8/27 Syllabus contract signed Diagnostic test in class (not graded) 8/29 Peer Review how-to St. Martin’s Ch. 6 and Ch. Organize work groups 8 Introduction to Comment 8/31 Gender and the Reading Quiz (in class) Michele Martin “Rulers of telephone the Wires” CtoA Chapter 2 Week 3 9/3 No class 9/5 Discussion of telephone Draft summaries of “Rulers St. Martin’s Chapter 7 film clips shown in of the Wires” class 9/7 Sentence structure and Peer review comments on paragraphs summaries Week 4 9/10 Peer Review Session Revised version of summary 9/12 Intro to Argument Final version of “Rulers of CtoA Chapter 3 the Wires”summary 5

9/14 Intro to the cell phone Be prepared to discuss your eavesdropping on cell phone conversations Today’s activity Assignment Due Readings to be completed before class Week 5 9/17 Voice and audience Reading Quiz (in class) “Mobile Sociality in Urban Morocco” 9/19 9/21 Intellectual Property Meet in 302 Skiles St. Martin’s 281-299 and Academic Integrity CtoA Chapter 7 Week 6 9/24 Technology and Reading Quiz (in class) Richard Dyer “The Light Ideology of the World” Film clips in class 9/26 The Toulmin Model CtoA Chapter 8 9/28 Library Session Meet at Library – Homer Rice Room, Library West Commons Week 7 10/2 Response Papers how- to 10/4 Constructing an St. Martin’s Chapter 11 argument 10/6 Intro to Domestic Technology Week 8 10/9 No class 10/11 Peer Review Draft of Response Paper Meet in Skiles 370 10/13 Visual analysis Reading Quiz “Mechanical Brides”

Week 9 10/15 Advertising and CtoA Chapter 4 Rhetoric 10/17 Digital Communication St. Martin’s Chapter 24 10/19 Planning your final Final Response Paper St. Martin’s Chapters 12 presentation and 25 Week 10 10/22 Planning your final paper 10/24 Topic discussion 10/26 Regent’s Test review Essay topics due Week 11 10/29 Regent’s Testing 10/31 Oral Presentations Reading Quiz Mia Consalvo’s “Hot how-to Dates and Fairy Tale Romances” 6

11/2 Discussion of gender and video games

Week 12 11/5 Audio/Visual aids TBA material on T-Square 11/7 Oral presentation skills Select topics for 5-minute presentations 11/9 5-minute presentations Week 13 11/12 5-minute presentations 11/14 Peer review comments for 5-min presentations 11/16 Initial drafts for final paper Week 14 11/19 Group work Initial drafts for oral presentation 11/21 Group work 11/23 Thanksgiving Week 15 11/26 Final peer review Bring all drafts to class session 11/28 Diagnostic Test in class (not graded) 11/30 Oral Presentations Final Essay Due

Week 16 Dead Week 12/3 Oral Presentations Oral Presentations 12/5 Oral Presentations Oral Presentations 12/7 Oral Presentations Oral Presentations 7

Syllabus Contract

This is to certify that I have read and understood the syllabus for ENG 1101 – Gender, Race and Technology and I have informed Dr. Whitney of any required accommodations or anticipated absences.

Signature: