• ENV-206
• Syllabus
• Tools of Toil: History of Technology
• Dr. Siry
• Fall 2007

What does this course do?

This is the story of how significant tools were invented, used and meshed to create a formative technology that critically reveals and fiercely remains quite instructive about humanity's needs, fears and desires.

Technology is the study of how we use tools to alter our conditions and enable more people to live well.

History is the critical, retrospective look that compares how we got to where we are today (automation) with how events in the past were shaped by, now, forgotten forces.

When did these inventions occur and how do they reveal that technology is complex?

1. fire, language
2. stone axes
3. ovens
4. architecture, water and wind mills
5. machinery
6. mechanization
7. automation
8. A. I. & robotics

These are the significant inventions from the past that help us examine what tools are, how technology functions and when combined together tools and technical systems transform the world and our presence in the world.

What do you have to accomplish?

Readings to do before class.

Research | Reliable research sites | On-line research

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Course Calendar

This 4 credit hour course is an intensive reading class, where note taking, homework and redrafting the essays several times are expected of you so that you practice to improve existing research skills.

For every hour in class, I expect you to study for four hours because I reward your hard work and revising your assignments for clearer descriptions and logical arguments.

Readings by short titles of chapters & selections from Authors
The focus of this class is how technology, particularly the tools we use, help to identify who we are, what we believe, how well we live and to what degree the entire world is created, maintained by and infused by mechanical, technical, automated and manual systems of tools.

 Edward Hopper, “Manhattan Junction (railway station)”

Texts to read and interpret:                 

• Carroll Pursell, White Heat
• Neil Postman, Technopoly
• Arnold Pacey, Technology in Western Civilization
• Charles Percy Snow, The Two Cultures
• Michio Kaku, Visions

Research | Reliable research sites | On-line research

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Assignments
I am here to assist you in creating excellent, intelligent and meaningful work based on critical thinking and practicing your expressive and reflective abilities.

Item                             due                              description

Interviews: select 4 or 5 people (they may be College staff) to interview August 29, before the Labor Day break and complete the process by Sept. 5 so that you may discuss your findings in class. After the discussion (Sept. 10) write up the best interviews with 3 people noting similarities and differences in each their responses on Sept. 12.
This written report is less formal than an essay, but will include a definition of technology based on an explicit (separate) summary of your findings from informants.

Each confidential interview includes the person’s identity, age & gender, date & time, length of the interview, how it was done and the informants: occupations, attitudes about technology, beliefs, techniques and relevant tools they use.

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Essays

These two essays are drafted and redrafted formal assignments. They may be taken to the writing center, reviewed with a consultant at least twice per essay.

Typed, in 10 point, Times New Roman or Arial font, 27 lines to a page, with 1” margins.

First Essay                 October 2: 5 pages (typed) 
What is technology and how is Technology complex ?  Using evidence from Pursell, Pacey, & Postman, and defining three facets of tools address these prompts:

• Themes you may want to develop:
  • What is Technology: just what evidence is there that people understand it?
  • 1st problem: How automated technologies play a role in sustaining our contentment?
  • What are the stories form myths and our past that define our relation with tools?

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Mid-term     10/10-17: Radio-Verbal debate, To demonstrate your capacity to interpret selections from the Snow's Two Cultures book. Do an oral interpretation based on a rehearsed role drawn from the words and ideas in Snow's essay. For example is he correct that we forget the importance of the industrial revolution? Presented your evidence in written form and interpreted verbally to the class with attention to characteristics of good public speaking.

4 pages typed, 1st page: outlined points & text references, 2d page is a diagram of the three facets of technology specific to your tool’s focus as handout and a 2 page explanation.

Homework    take your notes from the readings with respect to answering these questions.  

What is Technology: just what evidence is there that people understand it?
                        1st problem: How automated technologies sustain our contentment?
                        2d problem:  What makes any technological change an important problem?
                        3d problem:  Do the four facets of tools actively promote humane purposes?

Individual meetings to review your notes from the texts --that form the evidence for answering these questions above-- are to be scheduled and assessed on a pass/fail basis. In September & November these are done to approve your project and assay your progress (complete these meetings on or before November 16).

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Book-based Research essay or project

Second Essay               11/9: draft 6 page draft essay (typed) 11/29 redrafted research.
A comparison & contrast of  authors:            Pacey’s, Postman’s, Kaku’s, Pursell’s with Kranzberg’s arguments demonstrating your ability to distinguish between analysis of factual data as opposed to opinions in the news on how technology is either good, bad or indifferent.

•    2d problem:  What important, recurring problem can we learn from technological change?

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To meet the D or development of Western Civilization requirement of this class students are asked to base a research project on tools as original documents and present –in a chronological means and a graphical means of displaying technical information—the development of technology in its social context and imaginative importance to a peer audience. Postman's chapter on the communications revolution is a good model to use.

11-29, 2 PM, a written interpretation of an in-depth subject -- based on the views of Pursell, Pacey, Postman, Snow & Kaku, my web site, class discussions and the instructions below:

September -- extend the ideas you collect in the interviews, readings and notes.
                                    Meet with the Professor to discuss your proposed interests.
                                    Bring texts, notes, syllabus and pen to the meeting before 9/26.

October -- visit to the archives and Government documents to find further evidence.
                                    Meet with the Professor to approve the scope of the project.
                                     Submit a proposal before coming to meet with me before 10-24.

November -- responding to the my criticisms of your drafts and graphics that define and explain technology meet with me, the Professor, to discuss progress made on the project.
                                    Bring a middle stage draft and findings to a meeting before 11/7.

Final paper, 11-29 is the findings of your research focus which is to be clearly referenced as drawn from original sources and all of the readings identifying a theme of your choosing, in consultation with: 1) a reference librarian, 2) writing consultant and the 3) instructor (me) and then 4) formally written up (a page) & presented to me for my approval. Footnotes or endnotes & sources cited are required. Items to include are:

1. The 4 facets for understanding the role of technological change in society.
2. Use Kranzberg’s Laws, to evaluate your evidence and ideas as derived from primary sources found in archival and government document research in the Library or the Smithsonian on line.
3. One section of the final must assess and address how we can really “create a more people-centered” society given all of the author's beliefs about new discoveries.
4. Explicitly describe changes we would have to make to widely adopt a more humane technology.

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Final Exam      12/13, 11 AM - 1 PM, a written summary is presented as an oral interpretation of the above essay, you submitted on 11/29, based on the means we have to create a more humane technology.

Late work is unacceptable & will be penalized – 7%.  Missing assignments count as a zero. Be prepared!

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Each writer that we read has a very different perspective on how technology functions and what a technological society demands of us. Use all of these authors to demonstrate how we arrived at this fork in the historical road.

By using their evidence, voices, and stories to enhance your contributions to the discussion you demonstrate to me your reflective thinking.

• You will want to explain to the class how carefully we must learn to listen to the sounds of new technology. To do this well you must use the authors to interpret how and to what extent technology is transforming the planet.
• This means that automation, machinery and technical systems now are shaping the Earth's ecological life support system, & its biological diversity.
• The functional ecology and the living diversity are twin sources from which we ultimately derive our economic livelihoods.
• You will be asked to interpret and evaluate the arguments of each author so that together you may use their voices to demonstrate your reading comprehension, enlarge the range of your own intellectual curiosity, reveal your expressive talents, and practice your commercial skills.

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All assignments are graded with careful attention to each of these criteria: {CLIFS}

1. clarity, coherence, spelling, grammar, rationality & logical consistency.

2. length & development of your concepts, arguments, thematic ideas, or presentations.

3. informative value of evidence from the class texts, library research, or interviews.

4. frequency of examples from the lectures, journal, notes & readings.

5. substantial discussion of the subject & introductions, summaries, conclusions.

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Speaking Etiquette:

Speak so that everyone understands and address your written and spoken work to the class as your audience. In order to sharpen your analysis, I  require clear  communication r in this course that also sustains 4 goals of citizenship in relation to your improving your speaking ability:

one:                                      

to put you more at ease to ask appropriate questions in job interviews.

two:                                      

to practice your analytical ability as the member of a project team or jury.

three:                                  

to feel more confident in giving formal  and logical testimony or presentations.

four:                                      

to create an opportunity to see and practice qualities of good interviewing and speaking.

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Class time is spent on comparing oral & written interpretations of assigned readings.

Everyone over the course of the term will be asked to orally interpret the readings and express their writings for the rest of the class in a variety of informal and more structured formats.

I truly value your paying attention to others and not interrupting them.

These activities -- including free writing, group exercises, and problem solving, answering questions or leading discussions --are done to increase the classes’ comprehension.

The terms of this syllabus are subject to reasonable changes stated in class.

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writers | grading criteria | excelling in class | Homework | due dates | Course Overview