| Cape Fear Community College | Office: N205f |
| Dr. Robert Sutton | Phone: 251-5633 |
| HUM 110 | Office Hrs: MW, 10-10:30;TTH, 8:30-9:00 &1-2:00 |
| Spring 2001 | or by appointment |
| E-Mail: roberts@capefear.cc.nc.us | Mail Box: S312 |
| or, roberts@wilmington.net | Home Page: http://www.wilmington.net/cfcc-pr/ |
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course considers technological change
from historical, artistic, and philosophical perspectives and its effects
on human needs and concerns. Emphasis is placed on the causes and consequences
of technological change. Upon completion, students should be able to critically
evaluate the implications of technology.
OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course a student should be able to:
TEXTS:
Gates, William H., The Road Ahead. New York: Penguin Books, rev. ed., 1996.SUGGESTED:Teich, Albert H., ed. Technology and the Future. New York: St. Martin's Press, 8th ed., 1999.
Gibaldi, Joseph.MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 1999.TOPICS: Chapters in the primary texts will be assigned in an order and at a pace according to the demands of the class and will be assigned at the discretion of the instructor. Technology and the Future will be the first text. We will also read The Road Ahead in its entirety. In addition to these texts there are also several movies which we can chose from which deal with the overall subject matter of this course. In other courses we have seen movies such as Gattaca, Metropolis, Blade Runner, First Contact, and Frankenstein.
REQUIREMENTS: Reading, analyzing, interpreting, writing, and arguing about texts are the basic activities of most college courses and of most managerial, professional, and technical careers. Since you all aspire to succeed in one or more of these environments, you will be asked to write papers to accomplish certain tasks (see " Task Driven Writing Assignments," prepared by Dr. Thomas Bridges), since writing in everyday life is always done to fulfill some task. In addition to having to possess proficient analytic and communication skills, schools and places of employment are increasing their demand for persons with excellent interpersonal skills. While true of all of the environments listed above, this is especially true in manufacturing, production, and research and development facilities. Given these realities, your final paper will be a group project which will be presented in class. Assignments are described below. Handouts with detailed instructions will be given to you as we move closer to the due dates.
Final Paper/Project: Working in groups of 4 or 5, each group will produce a 4 page paper which addresses some of the social implications of a particular technology and will present their findings to the class.. Individuals will receive a grade based upon their class presentation, the paper, and peer review. The Teich text and other resources used in the course will assist students in clarifying how to assess and discuss the relationship between a particular technology and society.(25%)
In addition, when movies are shown, students will be asked to write
2 page reflection, expository papers explaining some facet of the movie
which relates to the course themes. Students will share these papers
in small groups on the designated days. A failure to come with a
paper or a failure to be in class that day will result in a grade of "F"
for that paper. There will be no more than three such papers required
of students in the semester and combined they will contribute 25% to your
course grade.
On select days before papers and presentations are due, you will be given a chance to discuss your work in small groups and one-to-one meetings with the instructor. Due dates for these papers will be announced. All papers must conform to the MLA Handbook rules for writing papers. Your paper grades will be determined in accordance with the guidelines in "Grading Standards." In the unlikely event of having to hand in a late paper, please consult with me before the due date. Being absent on the day your group is required to offer its presentation will earn you an F for that assignment.
One of the desired outcomes for this course is to create lifelong learners. One tool required in the pursuit of this goal and for your continued academic success is an ability to do research. Thus, in addition to the two graded papers, all students will hand in a bibliography, a semester long project detailing the hard and electronic research resources in the area of "Society and Technology." Again, the citations of references must conform to the MLA Handbook. Detailed instructions will be given on how to find and store sources from the World Wide Web. CFCC librarians will offer their support in how to find traditional, hard-copy resources. Dates for a sample and final bibliography will be announced. Again, the citations of references must conform to the MLA Handbook. (Counts as 25% of your total grade).
Class format is lecture-discussion. All assigned readings must be completed prior to class. Students are expected to critically participate in class discussion. To encourage your attendance and participation, I will award 4 points to your final grade average, deducting 1 point per hour of absence.
The Syllabus: There are various ways to look at the first day handout that influences how you view a course. Often, students think of the syllabus as a blueprint, analogous to an architect's drawing of a house. Such a conception leads to the conclusion that a course simply follows steps until one arrives at the end where one can measure the outcomes in relationship to the plans. I would urge you to think of the handout as a map. Like a blueprint, the map provides us with information necessary to arrive at our destination. But, the analogy of the map alerts us to the fact that a journey, like a course and all good education, is to be enjoyed and meaningful from the moment one begins the adventure, not simply when one arrives.
CAPE FEAR ATTENDANCE POLICY: CFCC policy requires 80% attendance. Thus, a grade of No Credit is issued on the 10th hour of absence, no exceptions. It is your responsibility to keep track of your absences.
GRADING: School wide grade scale is as follows:
A=100-92(4), B=91-84(3), C=83-76(2), D=75-68(1), F=67(0), WP, WF, I, NC
No withdrawals will be granted without a face to face consultation with the instructor and it is CFCC policy that, "Students who withdraw after the eighth week of classes must obtain permission in writing from the Dean of Student Development."
PREREQUISITES: None
Return to Course Guide, Technology and Society, or Main Page
Revised 12/19/00