History 1220:
History, Technology, and Society
Fall 2017
Go direct to schedule

Instructor: Dr. Pamela E. Mack

Contact information:

Student Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course students should be able to:
Requirements:
In this course numerical grades out of 100 will be converted to final letter grades by the system 90-100=A, 80-89=B, 70-79=C, 60-69=D, below 60=F. 

Canvas Surveys:  We will be using surveys and chat in class for surveys and student questions.  This is part of the regular Canvas (not poll for Canvas) but there is a Canvas App that will allow you to answer the surveys on your smart phone. You will get full credit for each question you answer (there is not a right answer) and your grade for the surveys will be calculated on a percentage basis after dropping 10 lowest grades, which can be zeros. 

The attendance policy
for this course is as follows: 5 absences allowed without penalty, 3 points off the final grade for the course for each additional absence. Note that this is a different system than Canvas's absence percentage so Canvas will not automatically incorporate this into your grade. Excuses will be accepted only for major problems; students are expected to use their allowed absences wisely to cover special activities, minor illnesses, and car problems. When an excused absence is requested the absence must be documented and beyond the student's control.  The notification of absence form is not sufficient documentation. Lateness will be dealt with in the following way: no penalty for up to five minutes, one half absence after 5 minutes. Please speak to the professor or the teaching assistant taking attendance in advance if you must leave early--if you leave early without explanation you will be penalized half an absence.  If the professor or a substitute does not arrive within 10 minutes of the scheduled starting time of the class students may leave.  If an assignment is not posted when it should be, it is your responsibility to email the professor and ask about it.

Any exam that was scheduled at the time of a class cancellation due to inclement weather will be given at the next class meeting unless the instructor lets the class know otherwise by email or Canvas announcement.  Any assignments due on Canvas will still be due as scheduled unless the instructor sends different information. Any individual extension or postponement of assignments or exams must be granted by the instructor via email within 24 hours of the weather related cancellation.


Quizzes
will be multiple choice tests based on the reading.  They will be posted on Canvas Wed. at the end of class and are due before class (by 11 am) on Friday.  
Quizzes are found by going into Blackboard and clicking on assignments and then on quizzes.  Quizzes will be 10 questions each.  I want you to have plenty of time and you are allowed to consult your book while taking the quiz but I do want people to do the reading before taking the quiz, so you have one hour to do the quiz (which should take most people about 10 minutes).  Your work will be automatically submitted after one hour. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped--this can be a zero.

Discussion board questions (db) will be posted at least a week before they are due.  You must go to the discussion board for your group to find the questions (you will be assigned to one of four groups during the first full week of classes). This is a required assignment for the course, rather like the journals some other courses assign.   The goal of the Blackboard discussion is to allow more discussion of the reading and the lectures than is possible in class and to provide opportunities to connect what you learn in class with outside lectures and movies. After you post your comment in any given discussion, you can read postings by others. 

Your participation in this system will be graded from 1 to 10 on the basis both of quality and quantity. Contributions to the internet discussion should be thoughtful comments on the assignment, at least 250 words long (we will not grade shorter ones).  To get an 9 or 10 you need to say something worthwhile about the question.  Your response should be organized and clearly written and should bring new information to the discussion.  Some of that new information can be personal experience, but some must be from the reading or film or lecture assigned.  You may use outside sources as well if you wish, but they must be cited.  There will be 11 discussions and I will drop the lowest grade.  You will get only one grade per topic, but if you write more than one post on a topic all your posts will be taken into account in deciding your grade for the topic.  Posts after the deadline for that topic will receive no credit. 

Two tests will be given during regular class meetings.  The final exam will be held at the regularly scheduled time. Both the in-class tests and the final will be essay tests and open books and notes will be permitted. You may use web pages, but be careful to avoid plagiarism and be aware that the test will still take place even if the internet is down at test time. Tests may be written either on your laptop or on paper.  On the in-class tests you will write one essay of 600 to 1200 words from a choice of two questions. On the final exam you will write two such essays, one based on the third book and one cumulative. There is advice on taking this kind of test at:  http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/essayexams.html and instructions for online tests at: http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/lec122sts/onlinetests.htm.  Makeup exams will be available only for students who have excused absences.  In other cases there will be a mechanism to get partial credit.   The tests, the argument paper, and the final exam will be handed in via Canvas and screened by the Turnitin plagiarism detection system.  (This system does keep a copy of your paper--if you have a problem with that please speak to the professor.)  These assignments should be handed in as uploads--write your essay in your word processor and upload it on the appropriate assignment page.

The argument paper will consist of a paper of about 4-6 double spaced pages on an assigned topic that will ask you to analyze the impact of some technology on society.  You must consider its different impact on different parts of society--whom did it hurt and whom did it help? Topic assignments will be posted at Argument paper assignment. The higher grades will go to papers that exhibit logical thinking, an analytical framework, specific evidence, the ability to inform and communicate, sound organization, and a concise and coherent argument that answers the specific question assigned. In this paper the premium will go to those that make a persuasive argument.  Papers will be handed in via Canvas and screened by the Turnitin plagiarism detection system.  (This system does keep a copy of your paper--if you have a problem with that please speak to the professor.)  Late papers will be penalized two points if later than 11 am and an additional 2 points for each calendar day late.  Very late papers will be penalized no lower than a 65 if the paper merits at least a 75.

You may want to use the writing center for help. Make an appointment here: https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/writing/

Accommodations: Clemson University values the diversity of our student body as a strength and a critical component of our dynamic community.  Students with disabilities or temporary injuries/conditions may require accommodations due to barriers in the structure of facilities, course design, technology used for curricular purposes, or other campus resources.  Students who experience a barrier to full access to this class should let the professor know, and make an appointment to meet with a staff member in Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible.  You can make an appointment by calling 864-656-6848, by emailing studentaccess@lists.clemson.edu, or by visiting Suite 239 in the Academic Success Center building.  Appointments are strongly encouraged – drop-ins will be seen if at all possible, but there could be a significant wait due to scheduled appointments. Students who receive Academic Access Letters are strongly encouraged to request, obtain and present these to their professors as early in the semester as possible so that accommodations can be made in a timely manner.  It is the student’s responsibility to follow this process each semester.  You can access further information here: http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-services/sds/.

Title IX: Clemson University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, veteran’s status, genetic information or protected activity in employment, educational programs and activities, admissions and financial aid.   This includes a prohibition against sexual harassment and sexual violence as mandated by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.  This policy is located at http://www.clemson.edu/campus-life/campus-services/access/title-ix/.   Mr. Jerry Knighton is the Clemson University Title IX Coordinator.  He also is the Director of Access and Equity.  His office is located at 110 Holtzendorff Hall, 864.656.3184 (voice) or 864.656.0899 (TDD). 


Academic Integrity:  As members of the Clemson University community, we have inherited Thomas Green Clemson’s vision of this institution as a “high seminary of learning.” Fundamental to this vision is a mutual commitment to truthfulness, honor, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of others. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of a Clemson degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form.”

This includes representing someone else's work as your own or handing in the same paper to two different courses without permission of both instructors. You may re-use your exact words (according to the plagiarism standard below) from work done for this course but not from any other course. Be careful to avoid plagiarism--text you take from a web site, from a book, or from online class notes must be either quoted with the source given or restated almost entirely in your own words, with the source given.  The catalog defines as one form of academic dishonesty: "Plagiarism, which includes the intentional or unintentional copying of language, structure, or ideas of another and attributing the work to one’s own efforts."  Note the word unintentional--if you forget to put quote marks or a reference you can be found guilty of academic dishonesty even if it was not your intention to cheat.

It is cheating to cut and paste or otherwise copy portions of a argument paper, exam, or discussion board posting from a book, web site, or from the online class notes, unless you quote and give the source. Changing a few words is not sufficient to make the material your own. It is poor writing for more than about 20% of your paper to consist of quotes.  In most cases when you use specific material from any source you should paraphrase: cite the source and put the ideas into you own words (generally no more than 5 consecutive words should match the source but if the words are mostly the same it could still be plagiarism even if there aren't 5 consecutive words).

The catalog states: "When, in the opinion of a course instructor, there is evidence that a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, that person must make a formal written charge of academic dishonesty, including a description of the misconduct, to the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies. The reporting person may, at his/her discretion, inform each involved student privately of the nature of the alleged charge. In cases of plagiarism instructors may use, as an option, the Plagiarism Resolution Form available from the Office of Undergraduate Studies."

Laptops and Cell Phones:
Unlike many history courses, the use of laptops is encouraged in this course.  However, because this is a large freshman level course, that use is subject to rules to prevent distraction for other students and to keep a positive learning atmosphere (research has shown that multitasking interferes seriously with cognitive abilities). 

General Education: This course meets the Social Science and STS general education requirements, and your argument paper is the artifact that demonstrates that.  The competencies are:

Required Books: Reading should be done by the class day for which an assignment is listed.  Three books are required:
Eric Hobsbawm, Industry and Empire: The Birth of the Industrial Revolution (make sure to get the 1999 edition, not the 1968 edition)
John H. Lienhard, Inventing Modern: Growing Up with X-rays, Skyscrapers, and Tailfins
David E. Nye, Technology Matters : Questions to Live With
Ebooks are permissible both in class and for open book tests if they work for you.

This syllabus is a contract between the professor and the students.  Please study it carefully, as you are expected to follow the rules and do the assignments contained in the syllabus even if the professor doesn't remind you.  The professor reserves the right to make changes in special circumstances, but will discuss any changes with the students.

Class Schedule:

date
reading
in class
work due by 11 am
Aug. 23
syllabus
Course Philosophy
syllabus
: http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/syl122.html

Aug. 25
Hobsbawm preface
What is Technology?

Aug. 28
Hobsbawm intro-1 Technology before the Industrial Revolution

Aug. 30
Hobsbawm 2 Origins (quiz 1 posted after class)

Sept. 1
Hobsbawm 3 The Industrial Revolution quiz 1 (intro-2) due by 11 am
Sept. 4
Hobsbawm 4 Human Results db1
Sept. 6
Hobsbawm 5 Agriculture
Sept. 8
Hobsbawm 6 Second Phase of Industrialization quiz 2 (3-5)
Sept. 11
Hobsbawm 8 Standard of Living
db2
Sept. 13
Hobsbawm 10 & conclusion The Land
Sept. 15
Hobsbawm 7 optional The Spread of the Industrial Revolution quiz 3 (6, 8)
Sept. 18

review db3
Sept. 20

In-class Test
Sept. 22
Lienhard  preface & 1 Manifest Destiny

Sept. 25
Lienhard 2
Short Lived Technologies db4
Sept. 27
Lienhard 3
Forces Totally New
optional rewrite instructions
Sept. 29
Lienhard 4 Genius quiz 4 (1-3)
Oct. 2
Lienhard 5 Core and Fringe
db5
Oct. 4
Lienhard 6
High Rises 
optional rewrite due
Oct. 6
Lienhard 7
The City
quiz 5 (4-6)
Oct. 9
Lienhard 8
Automobile
db6
Oct. 11
Lienhard 9
On the Road

Oct. 13
Lienhard 10-11
Aviation quiz 6 (7-9)
Oct. 16

Fall Break

Oct. 18
Lienhard 12
A Boy's Life, Radio
db7
Oct. 20
Lienhard 13
Invention
quiz 7 (10-12)
Oct. 23
Lienhard 14
War
db8
Oct. 25
Lienhard 15
Fifties

Oct. 27
Lienhard 16
After Modern
quiz 8 (13-15)
Oct. 30
  review

Nov. 1

In-Class Test
Nov. 3
Nye ch. 1 Defining Technology
Nov. 6
Nye ch. 2 The argument against determinism db9
Nov. 8
Nye ch. 3 Can Technology be predicted?

Nov. 10
Nye 4 Historical theory quiz 9 (1-3)
Nov. 13
Nye ch. 5 Freedom db10
Nov. 15
Nye ch. 6 Technology and the environment
Nov. 17
Nye ch. 7 Work quiz 10 (4-6)
Nov. 20
Nye ch. 8 Who selects technologies? Argument paper due
Nov. 22-24

Thanksgiving

Nov. 27
Nye ch. 9 Risk
Nov. 29
Nye ch. 10 Knowledge
Dec. 1
Nye ch. 11 Choosing our future
quiz 11 (7-10)
Dec. 4
Online reading part 1 and 2 The Development of the Computer db 11
Dec. 6

Technology and the future

Dec. 8

review
Dec. 12

Final Exam 8 am Hardin 100




Send me e-mail at: Pammack@clemson.edu
For other resources see PEM Index Page
For Pam Mack's Home Page see: Pamela E. Mack

This page last updated 7/31/2017