Instructor: Dr.
Pamela E. Mack
Contact
information:
Student Learning Outcomes:
The attendance policy for this course is as follows: 6 (changed from 5 because of weather issues) absences allowed without penalty, 2 points off the final grade in the course for each additional absence. 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. 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 doing so 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.
Fairly detailed lecture notes for this class are
posted on the web (access them by clicking on the lecture title
in the schedule below). Hopefully, you will find that this
allows you to listen and think about the material presented in
class rather than struggling to write down the details.
However, think about whether you are a person who doesn't
remember something unless you write it down; you may decide that
you need to take detailed notes yourself rather than simply
annotate the notes posted on the web. When you are
listening to lectures concentrate on the ideas and connections
presented; this course is not about learning a set of facts but
about learning how to analyze the connection between technology
and society.
Top Hat classroom
response system: We will be using the Top
Hat (www.tophat.com)
classroom response system in class for surveys and student
questions. You will be able to submit answers to in-class
questions using Apple or Android smartphones and tablets,
laptops, or through text. Grading is based on
approximately 50 questions posted during the semester: 5 points
for answering at least 45 questions, 4 points for 40-44, 3
points for 35-39, 2 points for 25-34, 1 point for 10-24.
Questions asked in the discussion area count in your total, so
if you answer 38 questions but also posted two discussion
questions your score would be 40 for 4 points out of 5 on the 5%
of your grade from Top Hat. Note that before you register
for a Top Hat account you will be able to answer questions but
you will not get points for those answers.
You can visit tinyurl.com/TopHatStudentGuide
for the Student Quick Start Guide which outlines how you will
register for a Top Hat account, as well as providing a brief
overview to get you up and running on the system. An email
invitation will also be sent to your email account (if you don't
receive this email, you can register by visiting our course
website https://app.tophat.com/e/176730).
Top Hat will require a subscription. There are two options
to choose from:
If you need to purchase a subscription card at
the bookstore instead of online please email the professor
(unfortunately the price will be higher). If you already
have a clicker you can get a discount: contact
support@tophat.com before purchasing a Top Hat
subscription. Send a picture of your clicker (with the
serial number visible) as well as your name and course
information. Once our support representative can confirm the
clicker hasn't been previously submitted, they will issue a $10
coupon that you can apply at checkout.
Quizzes will be multiple choice tests
based on the reading. They will be posted on
Blackboard Wednesdays at the end of class and are due before
class (by 11 am) on Fridays. 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 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 grade will be lowered if you go over one
hour. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped if you do all
11.
Blackboard discussion questions (bb)
will be posted approximately every two weeks on the Blackboard
learning system. 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--if you added late please email the professor to get in
a group). This assignment is 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. You will not be able
to see other responses until after you post your own. I
will place a new discussion topic on the system roughly every
other week. Messages posted
after the closing deadline (usually 11 am on Mondays) for that
topic will get a zero. You find the discussion
board by clicking on Groups-discussion, then on the group that
appears, then on the question you want to answer, then on create
thread (please do not create new forums). Write or paste
your message directly in the text box in Blackboard.
Your participation in this system will be graded on the basis both of quality and quantity. Contributions to the internet discussion should be thoughtful comments on the reading and/or the professor's notes, at least 300 words (we will not grade ones that are shorter). They must be your own work--cutting and pasting from other sources is cheating. To get an A you need to say something new and worthwhile about the question (not just repeat what other students have said). 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 should be from outside sources, which should be cited. Blackboard discussion grades will available on Blackboard before the middle of the term so that you can see how you are doing. Your grade for the Blackboard discussion board will be the average of your 5 highest grades for individual topics out of 6 topics posted. You will get only one grade per forum, but if you write additional posts in the same forum they will be considered in your grade for that forum. Your lowest grade will be dropped if you do all 6.
Connection assignments: Connection assignment
opportunities will be listed in the assignments section of
Blackboard under connection assignments. These will be
lectures you can attend and movies you can view (you are on
your own to obtain the movies). In either case, you
will turn in a write-up or critique of the lecture you
attended or the film you viewed in order to get
credit. If you hear of lectures that might be
suitable, send the professor an email with the information
and I will consider adding them to the list. The
topics are found on Blackboard under assignments and then
connection assignments. Please paste your writeup into
the box rather than submitting it as an attachment (that
saves me several steps in grading them). Each connection assignment
is worth two points and the maximum grade you can earn is 10
points, so most students will do five, out of at least 10
choices. The assignments are divided into three sets
with different due dates. Any given assignment must be
done by the due date listed in that assignment, but you have
free choice which ones you do.
Two tests will be given during regular class meetings. The final exam will be held at the scheduled exam time in the usual classroom. 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 1000 words from a choice of two questions; on the final you will write two such essays. 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. On the first test only a rewrite option will be available; see instructions at http://pammack.sites.clemson.edu/lec122sts/rewrite.html. On the final exam you will write two essays, one based on the third book and one cumulative. The tests, the argument paper, and the final exam will be handed in via Blackboard 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.) For these longer assignments, write your essays in Word (or in some other wordprocessor and save in Richtext form) and submit in Blackboard as an attachment. 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.
The argument paper will consist of a paper of about 4-6 double spaced pages that will take a stand on a controversial aspect of the relationship between technology and society. 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 Blackboard 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.) Write your essays in Word (or in some other wordprocessor and save in Richtext form) and submit in Blackboard as an attachment. Late papers will be penalized two points if turned in after 11 am and an additional two 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.
It is cheating to cut and paste or otherwise copy portions
of an argument paper, exam, or discussion board posting from a
book, web site, or from the online class notes, even if you
change a few words, unless you quote and give the source.
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 your 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 will serve as your STS and
Social Science artifact. The competencies are:
date |
reading |
in
class |
work
due by 11 am |
|
Jan. 7 |
syllabus |
Course structure |
||
Jan. 9 |
Hobsbawm preface |
What
is Technology? |
||
Jan. 12 |
Hobsbawm intro-1 | Medieval
Technology |
|
|
Jan. 14 |
Hobsbawm 2 | Origins | ||
Jan. 16 |
Hobsbawm 3 | The
Industrial Revolution |
quiz 1 (intro-2) due by
11 am |
|
Jan. 19 |
Martin Luther King holiday | |||
Jan. 21 |
Hobsbawm 4 | Human Results | bb1 due by 11 am | |
Jan. 23 |
Hobsbawm 5 | Agriculture | quiz 2 (3-5) due 11 am | |
Jan. 23 |
Optional CA
assignment |
Panel discussion
on Ferguson 3:30 pm Lee Hall Auditorium |
||
Jan. 26 |
Hobsbawm 6 | Second Phase of Industrialization | ||
Jan. 28 |
Hobsbawm 8 |
Standard of Living | bb2 | |
Jan.
29 |
Optional
CA assignment |
Lecture
by Eric Langenbacher on the fall of the Berlin Wall, 6
pm Hardin 100 |
||
Jan. 30 |
Hobsbawm 10 & conclusion |
The Land | quiz 3 (6,8) | |
Feb.
2 |
review | |||
Feb. 4 |
In-class Test | |||
Feb. 6 |
The Spread of the Industrial Revolution | |||
Feb. 9 |
Lienhard 1 | Manifest
Destiny |
||
Feb. 11 |
Lienhard 2 |
Short Lived Technologies | first set of CAs due | |
Feb. 13 |
Lienhard 3 |
Forces
Totally New |
quiz 4 (1-3) | |
Feb. 16 |
Lienhard 4 | Genius Film will be shown in class--no laptops or other devices allowed | bb3 | |
Feb. 18 |
Lienhard 5 | Core
and Fringe |
||
Feb. 20 |
Lienhard 6 |
High
Rises |
quiz 5 (4-6), optional
exam rewrite |
|
Feb.
23 |
Lienhard 7 |
The
City |
||
Feb.
25 |
Lienhard 8 |
Automobile |
|
|
Feb. 27 |
Lienhard 9 |
On
the Road |
quiz 6 (7-9) | |
Mar. 2 |
Lienhard 10-11 |
Aviation | ||
Mar. 4 |
Lienhard 12 |
A
Boy's Life, Radio |
Argument paper due | |
Mar. 6 |
Lienhard 13 |
Invention,
please bring laptops |
quiz 7 (10-12) | |
Mar. 9 |
Lienhard 14 |
War |
bb4 | |
Mar. 11 |
Lienard 15 |
Fifties | |
|
Mar. 11 |
Optional CA
assignment |
Lecture by Sheryll
Cashin on "Place, not Race," 5 pm |
||
Mar. 13 |
|
Class will not meet;
film assignment: Day
After Trinity documentary; quiz is due as usual |
quiz 8 (13-15) | |
Mar. 16-20 |
Spring Break |
|||
Mar. 23 |
Lienard 16 | After Modern, review | ||
Mar. 25 |
In-Class Test | |||
Mar. 27 |
Nye ch. 1 | Nye 1 | second set of CAs due | |
Mar. 30 |
Nye ch. 2 | Nye 2 | ||
Apr. 1 |
Nye ch. 3 | Nye 3 | bb5 | |
Apr. 3 |
Nye ch. 4 | Nye 4 | quiz 9 (1-4) | |
Apr. 6 |
Nye ch. 5 | Nye 5 | |
|
Apr. 6 |
Optional CA assignment | Lecture: Michael Meng "Why Do We Study
History," 6:30 pm Academic Success Center 118 |
||
Apr. 8 |
Nye ch. 6 | Nye 6 | |
|
Apr.
9 |
Optional CA
assignment |
Lecture: Sven
Beckert, "Empire of Cotton: The Global Origins of Modern
Capitalism" 5 pm Academic Success Center 118 |
||
Apr. 10 |
Nye ch. 7 | Nye 7 | quiz 10 (5-7) | |
Apr. 13 |
Nye ch. 8 | Nye 8 | |
|
Apr. 15 |
Nye ch. 9 | Nye 9 | bb6 | |
Apr 17 |
Nye ch. 10 | Nye 10 | quiz 11 (8-10) | |
Apr. 20 |
Nye ch. 11 | Nye 11 | ||
Apr. 22 |
Online reading part 1 and 2 | The
Digital Age, student evaluation of
instructors |
||
Apr. 24 |
review
|
last set of CAs due |
||
Apr. 28 |
Final
Exam 8:00-10:30 am Hardin 100 |