Fayetteville State University s11

Fayetteville State University Fayetteville, North Carolina

Faculty Senate

Proposal from College of Humanities and Social Sciences

I. Proposal: SPEE430 Communication, Technology, and Society. 3 Credits. Elective.

II. Purpose: This course will help students see how opinion-makers help shape the public’s perception of technology in society and how that has influenced the course of technological development. In general, students need to gain a better appreciation for the relationship between technology and communication and how that interrelation affects societal functions. Prerequisite: SPEE200.

III. Rationale: Public discourse is a powerful influence on all realms of society, including the technological. We often take for granted that technology is created and formed by individuals who are socialized to see technology in very specific ways. Some of us believe, instead, that technology has a life of its own and possesses its own teleology. The Communication, Technology, and Society course is designed to offer the advanced undergraduate student a thorough analysis of historical documents, theoretical arguments, and mediated mythologies that concern the role of technology in society. The course will examine how these discourses about technology have affected our perception and employment of technology in society and how those technologies have, in turn, affected public discourse and interaction.

IV. To be presented to: (in succession to each of the following) Departmental Curriculum Committee, Departmental faculty, CHSS Academic Affairs Committee, CHSS Dean, Faculty Senate Academic Affairs Committee, Faculty Senate, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Chancellor

V. Submitted by: Dr. Todd S. Frobish

VI. Number of Copies:

VII: Will this proposal, if implemented, require either additional faculty or other resources? If yes, explain how these resources will be provided. No. Course Syllabus Fayetteville State University College of Humanities and Social Sciences Department of Performing and Fine Arts

I. LOCATOR INFORMATION

Semester: Fall 2004 Course No.: SPEE430 Course Name: Communication, Technology, and Society Hrs: 3 Day/Time/Room: TBA Instructor: Dr. Todd S. Frobish Office Location: BU267 Phone: 672-1206 Office Hours: Email: [email protected]

II. COURSE DESCRIPTION

This reading and discussion course is designed to examine the connections among communication, technological development, and society. Students will explore a rhetorical perspective in their study of how persuasive communication has affected our perception and employment of technology in society and how those technologies have, in turn, affected public discourse and interaction. Students will adopt a rhetorical perspective in evaluating and understanding classical primary and secondary readings in technological and scientific discourse. Prerequisite: SPEE200.

III. TEXTBOOKS: Teich, A. (2003). Ed. Technology and the Future. NY: St. Martin's Press. Rhodes, R. (1990). Ed. Visions of Technology. NY: Simon & Schuster. (Anthology of historical documents related to the history of technology)

Recommended Online Resources: Http://www.alteich.com/resource.html online science and technology resources Http://www.uark.edu/~aca/studies/science.html - online science and technology resources Http://www.alteich.com/bookstor.htm - additional readings Http://www.fred.net/tzaka/techne3.html - philosophy of technology resources

IV. SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1) Students should acquire and be able to demonstrate an advanced knowledge of communication systems and theories 2) Students should acquire and be able to demonstrate an understanding of several technological perspectives 3) Students will be expected to develop an understanding of how scholars, engineers, and mass media help shape public perception and understanding of technology in society. 4) Students should acquire and be able to demonstrate an appreciation for the relationship between technology and communication and how that interrelation affects societal functions V. COURSE COMPETENCIES

INTASC #1 (Knowledge) The teacher understands the major concepts, assumptions, debates, processes of inquiry and ways of knowing that are central to the discipline he or she teaches.

INTASC #9.4 (Reflection) The teacher is committed to reflection, assessment, and learning as an ongoing process.

INTASC #6.13, NCDPI #6.4 (Technology) The teacher knows how to use a variety of media communication tools, including audiovisual aids and computers, to enrich learning opportunities.

INTASC #3 (Diversity) The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

INTASC #10.12, NCDPI #10 (Collaboration) The teacher establishes respectful and productive relationships with diverse home and community situations, and seeks to develop cooperative partnerships in support of learning and well being.

VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Grading Scale: 920-1000 =A 830-910 =B 730-820 =C 640-720 =D 0 -630 =F I =Incomplete

Grade Distribution: Observation 150 Annotated Bibliography 150 Presentation 200 Final Paper 450 Participation 50 Total 1000

Assignment Descriptions:

Observation: A field trip will be scheduled to the Airborne and Special Operations Museum. Students will be asked to explore one of the exhibits, connect that exhibit to class concepts, and write a short observation paper. Observation paper may be concerned with the history of technology, social implications of technology, or the role of communication in the development or use of technology. Annotated Bibliography: Students are to research 20 primary and secondary resources on a technological issue of their choice (utopianism, dystopianism, techno-politics, etc.), and summarize those findings or position. Students should use this opportunity to prepare for their final paper topic.

Presentation: Each student will be asked to read, carefully and critically, one or two of the assigned articles. Each student will present, with handouts or visual aids, a scholarly review of those articles and their positions. Presentations should be between 20-30 minutes.

Final Paper: This carefully written and polished, 10-15 page paper should critically examine a technological position and/or technology. These papers should make some sort of argument about the development of technological artifice in society and the importance or implications of communication within that process.

Participation: Participation will be based upon each student’s performance during the entirety of the semester, including asking and answering questions, volunteering for class discussions, professionalism, effort, and creativity.

VII. COURSE OUTLINE

Week One: Introduction to the class and syllabus Assignment: bio sheet Ungraded Speeches

Part I: Critical Reflections on the Social Implications of Technology

Week Two: Historical Visions and the Partitioning of Western Technology Read: Mumford, “Technics and the Nature of Man” Read: Ong, “The Orality of Language” Read: Winner, “From Tools to Technocracy” Read: Toffler, “Super-Struggle” Week Three: Utopianism, Dystopianism, and Moral Relativism Read: Teich (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 10, 14) Week Four: Technology as Social Fix/Social Problem Read: Teich (Chapters 4, 11, 6, 7, 8) Read: Skolimowski, “The Structure of Thinking in Technology” Read: Ellul, “The Technological Order” Read: White, “The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis” Field Trip Tentatively Scheduled (university transportation) Week Five: Predicting the Future of Technology Read: Teich (Chapters 12, 18, 25, 16) Observations Due Part II: Public Discourse and American Technology

Week Six: American Industrial Revolution and Progressive Technology (1900-1933) Read: Rhodes (p. 27-110) Read: Sinclair, excerpt from The Jungle Week Seven: American Depression and Wartime Technology (1932-1945) Read: Rhodes (p. 111-167) Read: Truman, “Hiroshima Bombing Address” Read: Anders, “Commandments in an Atomic Age” Week Eight: Post-War Rhetoric and the Dawn of Modern Technology I (1945-1970) Read: Rhodes (p. 169-238) In Class Video: Rachel Carson and the Making of Silent Spring In Class Video: Jacques Ellul’s The Betrayal of Technology Week Nine: Post-War Rhetoric and the Dawn of Modern Technology II (1945-1970) Read: Rhodes (p. 239-295) Week Ten: (Post) Modern America and Liminal Technology (1970-Present) Read: Rhodes (p. 297-380) Annotated Bibliography Due

Part III: Mass Media and the Acculturation of Technological Mythos

Week Eleven: The Myth, Magic, and Popular Lore of Technology Read: Carey & Quirk, “The Mythos of the Electronic Revolution” Read: Campbell, excerpt from The Power of Myth Read: Boal, “A Flow of Monsters: Luddism and Virtual Technologies.” Week Twelve: STAR WARS In Class Video: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back Week Thirteen: BLADE RUNNER In Class Video: Blade Runner Week Fourteen: STAR TREK In Class Video: Star Trek: Insurrection Week Fifteen: MATRIX In Class Video: The Matrix Final Exam: Final Papers Due.

VIII. COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Student Responsibilities: To earn a passing grade in this course, a student must minimally attend 90% of all class meetings, deliver all presentations and complete the research paper. A student who wishes to achieve better than a passing grade should strive to actively participate in class discussions and activities, and show effort, thoughtfulness, and creativity in course assignments. Plagiarism, or using someone else’s intellectual work as one’s own, WILL NOT be tolerated. Plagiarizing will result in the failure for that assignment and may lead to one’s failure of the course! Absences and Make-up Policy: • Your attendance is mandatory. By not attending class, you are not only hurting yourself, but putting your peers at a disadvantage since class discussion will suffer and activities will not be as interactive. • Three absences with explanation will be allowed. For each absence after three, your grade will be reduced by two cumulative percentage points. NOTE: Cutting classes for reasons other than illness or emergency limits your allowed absences for real problems. In other words, don’t cut. • Attendance is mandatory on those days when you have signed up to present. Failure to show up on your presentation day will result in a reduced grade for that assignment by one full letter grade. Failure to make-up that presentation that next class day will result in a grade of zero for that speech. Make-ups for presentations and exams are always as the discretion of the instructor when the absence is unexcused.

Tardiness: Tardiness is annoying and frustrating for both your peers and the instructor. If a student is presenting when you get to class, wait until you hear clapping before you open the door. Otherwise, you may hinder the student’s performance and grade. If you must leave for some reason (bathroom, water, etc.), please do so in a suitable manner. There is no need to ask permission, but keep exits to a minimum.

IX. TEACHING STRATEGIES:

The Communication, Technology, and Society course is designed to offer the advanced undergraduate student a thorough analysis of arguments concerning the role of technology in society. The course will examine how the discourse and mythologies about technology throughout the centuries has affected the evolution of our technology and, in turn, how technology has affected public discourse. This class embraces multiple approaches to reach that goal, including interpersonal interaction, group activities, student-to-class presentations, discussion, individual research, and lecture.

X. BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Classical and Modern Texts in Technology Studies:

Anders, G. (1983) Commandments in an Atomic Age. In Mitcham,C., and Mackey, R. Eds. Philosophy and Technology: Readings in the Philosophical Problems of Technology. NY: The Free Press. p. 130-135. Boal, I. (1995). A flow of monsters: Luddism and virtual technologies. In Brook, J., and Boal, I. Eds. Resisting the Virtual Life: The Culture and Politics of Information. San Francisco, CA: City Lights. Campbell, J. (1988). The Power of Myth. NY: Doubleday. (Excerpt not yet determined). Carey, J., and Quirk, J. (1989). The mythos of the electronic revolution. In Carey, J. Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society. Boston: Unwin Hyman. Ellul, J. (1983). The technological order. In Mitcham,C., and Mackey, R. Eds. Philosophy and Technology: Readings in the Philosophical Problems of Technology. NY: The Free Press. p. 86-105. Frobish, T. (2002). Neo-Luddites and their rhetorical paradox. Peace Review, 13, 207-216. Mumford, L. (1983). Technics and the nature of man. In Mitcham,C., and Mackey, R. Eds. Philosophy and Technology: Readings in the Philosophical Problems of Technology. NY: The Free Press. p. 77-85. Ong, W. (1982). The orality of language. Orality and Literacy: The Technologizing of the Word. NY: Routledge. p. 5-15. Skolimowski, H. (1983). “The Structure of Thinking in Technology” In Mitcham,C., and Mackey, R. Eds. Philosophy and Technology: Readings in the Philosophical Problems of Technology. NY: The Free Press. p. 42-49. Sinclair, U. (1981). The Jungle. NY: Bantam Classics. (excerpt not yet determined) Toffler, A. (1980). Super-Struggle. The Third Wave. NY: William Morrow and Company. p. 3- White, L. (1983). The historical roots of our ecologic crisis. In Mitcham,C., and Mackey, R. Eds. Philosophy and Technology: Readings in the Philosophical Problems of Technology. NY: The Free Press. p. 259-265. Winner, L. (1993). From tools to technocracy. Technopoly : The Surrender of Culture to Technology. NY: Vintage Books.