Tools of Toil: A
history of technology.
The
physical, emotional, and mental characteristics related to tool use are one of
four extraordinary qualitative changes in our prehistoric past that define the
human species. The history of technology examines these behavioral shifts and
four subsequent transformations of society due to the acquisition of new tools,
crafts associated with new techniques, and the unique roles of hand made
artifacts, manufacture, industrialization, and automation in the past to better
comprehend the tools we now work with that powerfully reshape our lives,
beliefs and feelings.
The
history of technologyÕs
importance:
ÒWe live in a society exquisitely dependent
on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science
and technology.Ó
Carl Sagan, 1934-1996.
The center of this class is you. We all learn about the
roots and impacts
of technological change as such influences shaped your world and
experiences.
Basically I want you to
write in this class. All written work is based on what you read and we discuss
details from the texts each week. I believe writing about the texts reveals
your capacity to formulate concepts and learn new material about how humans are
challenged by technology.
For me the classroom is an
active arena for you and all of us to have an ongoing conversation that you can
take away and reformulate into the papers drawn from your assigned readings in
this course. I read your draft essays, make comments and allow you to respond
to the changes I suggest, before the essay receives a grade. I hope, as we explore the roots and arguments over technological change
as we experience the mental, emotional, and even spiritual consequences of
rapid technological alterations, so that you may know better how to cope with
ways to earn a living, learn new skills, and engage others now and in the
future to comprehend technology.
books
Carroll Pursell, White Heat. http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/PursellChapters.html
Arnold
Pacey, Technology in World Civilization.
http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/PAceyTWCOverview.html
Neil Postman, Technopoly, (selected chapters). http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/PostmanSummary.html
Charles Percy Snow, Two Cultures. http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/C_P_Snow-Two_Cultures-Essay.html
Michio Kaku, Visions. http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/KakuVISIONS.html
Reserve:
Neil Postman, Amusing ourselves to Death, http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/Amusing_ourselves.html
What
must you do to excel in this course?
Actions value % due
dates (completed by) no late assignments
¥ 1 Interviews 15 September 07.
¥ 2 Essay Tech. is 15 October 12.
¥ 3 Essay revolutions
20 November 09.
¥ 4 Debate on C.P.
Snow 15 Oct-Nov 26-02.
¥ 5 Final Essay 20 November 30;
Final exam is Dec 3, 2-4 PM.
¥ 6 Attendance &
participation 15 Every
week & Film festival Sept. 19-23.
Participating
students should arrive to class on time having read the assigned texts for that
meeting day,
ready to discuss the text's concepts, and ask questions that these ideas and events raise for you.
Write
phone numbers of two other classmates
_______________ & _________________
What do we do?
More particularly, active
participants will have opportunities to hone their skills in reading
analytically, in verbally conveying their views in a supportive setting about
customs, language, inventions, diffusion of devices, and the pace of changes
induced by new means of production. Further, you have an opportunity to
interview others and express your ideas in frequent writing as you learn
throughout the term.
Especially in our class, I
would hope you would experience, now and again, the delight and enjoyments of
being moved by the profound power of ideas and articulate prose to lift your
spirits, amend your behavior, nourish your more curious sensibilities, and even
move you to act prudently and enrich the world.
Terms
to know and write about. Vocabulary
is critical see: http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/wordused.htm
Grades: all
assignments are graded with careful attention to each of these criteria: {CLIFS}
1.
C clarity,
coherence, spelling, grammar, punctuation, & logical consistency.
2.
L length
& development of your concepts, arguments, ideas, or presentations.
3.
I information
from the class texts, library research, discussions, or interviews.
4.
F frequency
of examples from the lectures, journal, your notes & readings.
5.
S subjects
developed as argued in a thesis; introduction, summaries, & conclusion.
Improvement over the
duration of the term is expected if your grade is to remain in the B or A
ranges.
My grades represent
performance, not effort: while A is
94-96; A- is 93-90,
B
is 84-86; B- is 83-80 and B+ 87-89 C
is 74-76; C- is 73-71 and C+ 77-79
D is 64-66; D- is 63-60 and D+ 67-7 F
is 59 or below
Readings and assignments should be completed well before the
start of class.
Your essays
should have a title based on your
contents, with its principle authorÕs full name and phone number, date
completed, and with page numbers on the upper right hand corner. The essay
should follow the style and content of papers in the Rollins Undergraduate Research
Journal and it should be double spaced, 12 pt. font
(either Times/Times Roman or Arial) and at least 6
pages long [23 lines to the sheet], excluding the Literature Cited page and any notes,
figures, photos, or graphs you may use (see –ask Ms.
Robertshaw in TJs, for Instructions to Authors).
Endnotes or footnotes are preferred rather than
parenthesis with author, date, and pages. The final
review
paper for the term must be handed in no
later than 30 November 2012.
Of course you are very welcome to hand it in earlier and you are also
encouraged to discuss ideas with me and
submit a draft for my review
& comments before final submission on the due
date. I anticipate that the best parts of your papers will be presented in
class. 80% of your grade comes equally from the four papers.
Sept 19-23: Global Peace Film Festival
– select 3 films to promote as an alternate to interviews, prepare a
promotion packet, describe the films to other classes, bring people to the
films and panels [attend at least two panels and describe their content in
writing].
Calendar
Readings and assignments should be completed well before the
start of class.
Weeks, Dates, and Days
August
20 M Who
are you and how does your favorite tool work?
22 W Postman Chapter 1, What did Thamus decide to do and how is that crucial to our story?
24 F Postman
Chapter 2, From Tools to the rule of
technical constraints; how we got here.
27 M Pursell 1 How
does technology alter, or express the essence of humane behavior?
29 W Pursell 2 Myths
about inventors, inventions and meeting human needs.
31 F Pursell 3 Technical
influences on our perception of the world around us.
September
5 W Interviews exercise see Pacey
7 F Pursell 4, The
madness of any technical rat-race of planned obsolescence.
Interviews due: typed 3 to 5 interview responses and a four
page summary of what they said.
Weeks, Dates, and Days
September
10 M Pacey 1-2 The
Asian source of modern western technology
12 W Pacey 3 How
Asian techniques were carried west by war & trade
14 F TJs Writing about what is Technology using three authors
analytically.
17 M Pursell 3 focus
on Eadward Muybridge and the bet that changed history
19 W Film
as a technology (visitor?) What films do you want to see Global
Peace Film Festival?
21 F attend
a Panel at GPFF and no class
24 M Postman
3 What
is technopoly as opposed to
technocracy?
26 W Pursell
5 How
science and technology are hopelessly confused.
28 F Pacey
5 Gunpowder
and the acceleration of destructive creation
October
1 M Pacey
6 Concepts
in tectonic and organizational changes
3 W Pacey
7 The
importance of sociotechnical parallel changes
5 F Postman
4 An
Improbable world?
8 M Mid-term break no class
10 W Postman
5 How
technological demands leave you defenseless?
12 F Pursell, Pacey & Postman: Essay due "What is Technology?"
15 M Pacey
8 How
do metal, guns, and rails build & maintain empires?
17 W Pacey
9 Railroad
as the prototype of automation
19 F Pacey
10 scientific
revolutions and dreams
22 M C.P
Snow The Two Chapters: Science and the Arts forever at war or is this a truce?
24 W Debate
prep
26 F Debate teams affirm
29 M Debate teams negate
31 W Debate second teams affirm
November
2 F Debate
second teams negate
5 M Debate
review
7 W Kaku
1, pp. 1-19. Welcome to the future as replaceable parts
9 F Kaku
2, pp. 21-69. The Computer Revolution & Moore's law of efficiency
F Analysis & Synthesis Essay due on
Revolutions in technology & their importance
12 M Kaku,
pp. 70-135. The Computer as a keystone and synthetic exaptation
14 W Pursell& Kaku, pp. 138-180. The Biomedical promise of genetic insights.
16 F Postman& Kaku, pp. 181-261. Bio molecular medicine & gene therapies
19 M Kaku,
pp. 265-322. The Quantum world of nanotechnology and electronics.
21 Thanksgiving
break
26 M Kaku-
pp. 322-337. Can we create a planetary civilization or are we doomed?
28 W All
the authors in perspective
30 F Essay
due on debatable importance of understanding Kranzberg's "Laws of Technology"
December
3 M Final Exam 2-4 PM: Presentation on "What you learned,"
all authors and Snow's themes.
Academic honesty and writing
with integrity.
Cheating, borrowing ideas, or copying without proper citation
diminishes the integrity of any writing. The habitual resort to these less than
responsible practices amounts to plagiarism–a
most serious academic offense of novices and experts alike. By the use of words
or ideas that are not your own and are insufficiently accredited, or not
acknowledged at all, you undermine an
essayÕs reliability. The
consequences are that you can fail that project, or even fail the class, since
these offenses are a violation of the CollegeÕs honor code. As such, I am
obligated to report such violations to the Dean.
Use the internet link to
concepts,
notes, themes, details, and people discussed in class is at:
http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/techcomp.htmland http://myweb.rollins.edu/~jsiry/technohomex.html
My policies:
I am here to excite & encourage you to excel in learning new
concepts and practicing your writing and speaking abilities in an effort to
create meaningful discourse. My purpose is to feed your inquiring intellect
with significant concepts in a coherent and challenging manner. I anticipate
you will ask questions and actively work together to overcome the challenges
the course material may pose for you in achieving excellent performance levels
based on an improved understanding of the readings. I recommend you to discuss
ideas, passages, and assignments during my office hours (see bottom of page).
Active learning
Readings and assignments should be completed well before the
start of class.
Keep in mind that participation in this course involves not only
alertness and verbally contributing your ideas, but also listening respectfully
without interrupting other speakers who are presenting their views on the
assigned readings. Paying attention to
others and to me is a sign of respect that I will reward. The use of
electronic media, texting, or web browsing for other than class purposes is
treated as an absence since texting, internet surfing, e-mailing, or being
digitally inattentive to our discussion during class meetings robs us of your
intellectÕs contributions to our discourse. Attendance earns you 15% of your
grade and that amounts to .33 or 1/3 of a percent for every day you come to
class. Points cannot be awarded for days you are surfing the web, texting, inattentive, or not present,
regardless of the reason.
Late papers
Submit all assigned work at the beginning of the class on the day the
assigned work is due. Late papers cannot earn the same credit as those received
on time in fairness to the punctual students. This is really because we discuss
what you have said in the class the day the essays are due. Always back-up your
work as you write, start at least one full week before the essay is due, and
keep a printed copy of all drafts of all essays. Each essay is worth 20%; late
essays can only be with 18%.
Paper format
The look of any college paper is always a professional document with an
accurate date and page numbers indicating when the work was completely written.
I ask you to place a cover page with your name, phone number, essay title and
an abstract of two to three sentences covering the substance of your essay for
purposes of privacy because I make extensive comments on your work. Spelling,
syntax, and grammar errors are unacceptable because they detract from focusing
on your thoughtful expression.
At the final exam you verbally produce a presentation based on a complete rewrite of
your last essay on how technology has the power to distort & reshape our
cultural inheritance and social relations. In this improved essay, you must
refer to every author & incorporate the comments I have made on your
previous papers. The focus should be ÒWhat did you learn?Ó (Three facets of technology for example)
supported with evidence from all of our readings, activities, films, my web site, & relevant discussions.
Improvement over the
duration of the term is expected if your grade is to remain in the B or A
ranges.
My grades represent
performance, not effort: while A is
94-96; A- is 93-90,
B
is 84-86; B- is 83-80 and B+ 87-89 C
is 74-76; C- is 73-71 and C+ 77-79
D is 64-66; D- is 63-60 and D+ 67-7 F
is 59 or below
Rollins College policies
The mayor of
New York City once remarked that all of
us are only "temporarily able." The term disability is filled
with negative implications. Despite that we want you to be aware of Gail
Ridgeway's services.
Rollins College is committed to equal
access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities
in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College
recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not
discriminate against persons with disabilities.
If
you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any
type of academic / medical accommodations in order to participate in your
classes, please make timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in
writing to the Disability Services Office at (Box 2613) - Thomas P. Johnson
Student Resource Center, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, 37289. Appointments
can be scheduled by calling 407-646-2354 or by emailing: mailto:gridgeway@rollins.edu
Your ACADEMIC HONOR CODE
Membership in the
student body of Rollins College carries with it an
obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. Because
academic integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and truth and is
the heart of the academic life of Rollins
College, it
is the responsibility of all members of the College community to practice it
and to report apparent violations.
The following pledge is a
binding commitment by the students of Rollins College:
The development of the virtues of Honor and
Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the
Rollins College community. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College,
pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying,
cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly,
respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with
others.
This pledge is reinforced
every time a student submits work for academic credit as her own.
1. Material submitted
electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the
pledge.
2. Students shall add to all
papers, quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten
abbreviated pledge followed by their signature:
ÒOn my honor, I have not
given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work.Ó
Closing remark.
We live in a
world where fraud and misrepresentation are more rampant than we both may
desire. You and I are better than that, so that I would hope our enduring
acquaintance with each other is based on the care we take in how and what we
say to one another in the work we do together to learn about how to improve your
proficiencies and perhaps our world.
Rollins
College
FALL SEMESTER 2012 Calendar
New Students Report Thursday, August 16
Returning Students
Report Saturday, August 18
SPARC Day Saturday,
August 18
First Day of Class: Monday, August 20
Schedule Changes (Drop/Add)
Monday, August 20,
through Friday, August 24
Credit/No Credit Deadline Friday, August 31
Last Day to Drop a Class without Notation ('W' Deadline),
August 31
Labor Day National Holiday (No Classes)
Monday, September 3
Fall Break (No Classes)
Saturday,
October 6, through Tuesday, October 9
Last Day to Drop a Class without Penalty ('WF' Deadline)
Friday, October 26
Academic Advising for Spring 2013 [see your advisors]
Monday,
October 29, through Friday, November 2
Spring 2013 Online Registration
Monday,
November 5, through Sunday, November 18
Thanksgiving Recess (No Classes)
Wednesday, November 21, through Sunday, November 25
Classes End Friday, November 30
Reading Days: Saturday, December 1, and Sunday, December 2
Final Exam Week days
see: http://r-net.rollins.edu/studentrecords/exam.html
Monday, December 3, and Tuesday, December 4
Reading Day Wednesday,
December 5
Final Exam Week days
Thursday, December 6, and Friday, December 7
(Contingency Days
Monday, December 10, through Friday, December 14)
