STV100 Society, Technology and Values: Introduction

1 Introduction

1.1 Calendar description

Society, Technology and Values: Introduction

This course examines the interaction of the technologies developed by a culture with the values and social organization of that culture. The course exposes students to various definitions of society, technology and values, and it presents alternative views about how the three interact. These views are then applied to a number of spheres of influence, including patterns of employment and the role of work; medicine and health; polity and economy; sustainable development and the environment.

Credit wight: 0.5

Pre-requisite: None

1.2 Location and Time

Lectures: RCH 305, Tuesday 7-9pm
Tutorials: RCH 209 & 305, Tuesday 9-10pm

1.3 Instructor

Dr. Scott Campbell
E3 3174, Ext. 35635
sm2campb@uwaterloo.ca

Office Hours: Tuesday 1-3

1.4 Teaching Assistant

Karl Griffiths-Fulton
kgfphoto@yahoo.ca

Office Hours: Wednesday 3-4 (E3 rm: 3174)

2 Course Details

2.1 Website

Use UW-ACE for access to lecture slides, assignment drop boxes, the readings, a course discussion forum, and other resources.

2.2 Policies

Attendance will be recorded in the tutorials and will be considered part of your participation grade. It is your responsibility to contact the instructor or your TA ahead of time if you are sick.

Assignments will be penalized 1% from your final overall grade per 24 hour period, to a maximum of the assignment value. Consideration will be granted if you contact the instructor before the due date.

Plagiarism, cheating, copying and other forms of intellectual dishonesty will be punished to the fullest extent of the appropriate University of Waterloo Student Academic Discipline Policies (see http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm). The penalties can be quite severe and ignorance is rarely a good excuse.

Exceptions will require documentation and, if wherever possible, considerable warning.

Regrading of assignments will require written justification; the entire assignment or test will be regraded.

Excessive Disruptions in class that affect other students will not be tolerated. I discourage the use of laptop computers unless you are taking notes.

Feedback Anonymous course feedback is available at all times through UW-ACE.

2.3 Readings

All readings will be provided on UW-ACE, under Lessons, in the Readings folder. A reading list will be provided there, with a schedule and questions to study. Approximately 25% of the test questions will be derived from the readings.

2.4 Tutorials

Part of the goal for this course is for you to share your responses to the lecture and reading material and learn from other students. To that end, the class will be divided into tutorial sections of approximately 20 students. Tutorials are at 9pm, and each section will ideally meet four times as indicated on the schedule.

The basis for the tutorials will be to discuss student questions and concerns, to review important lecture and reading material, and typically we will arrange impromptu debates.

2.5 Assignments and Grading

Note: Final grades will be rounded by Quest using a round-to-even method.

Question-and-answers, Due 11 February and 31 March, 10% total By 1pm on the due-date you must submit a sample short essay question and appropriate answer (about 300 words). For both mid-terms, at least one submission, as determined by the instructor, will be included as one of the questions.

Each submission will be worth 5%. Late submissions will be graded, with a penalty, but for obvious reasons, cannot be included in the tests.

Short written assignments, 5 February and 25 March, 30% total Two short essays will be assigned. Each will be worth 15%. More details will be available on UW-ACE (including sample questions) and in-class in advance of each lecture.

These written assignments must be submitted electronically by 6pm on the due date. An identical paper hardcopy will be due in class that evening. All assignment disputes will be resolved with reference to the electronic copy.

Documents should be 12-point, Times Roman font, 1" margins, and double-spaced. This corresponds roughly with 250 words per page. Always include your name, student ID, date, and a title. References and a bibliography should be consistent and employ a known citation style (MLA, Chicago Manual of Style, etc). References to Wikipedia are not sufficient and may be penalized.

Two mid-terms, 12 February and 1 April, 25% each There will be two in-class mid-term tests, worth 25% each. Each will be two hours, a mix of short answer and short essays, closed book, and non-accumulative. More details will be available in class as we near each test.

Participation, 10% Your tutorial participation and attendance will be assessed. That is, you are expected to show up and contribute on a regular basis by doing the assigned readings ahead of time, preparing notes, and actively taking part in the discussions. Occasionally, there will be surveys announced in class -- compeleting the surveys on time will count towards your participation grade.

2.6 Writing Assistance

The English Language Proficiency Program also offers help for students who need extra assistance with writing. See http://elpp.uwaterloo.ca/index.html

UW Counselling services also offers series of Writing Workshops every fall. See http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infocs/workshops/writing.html

2.7 Schedule

Lecture topics and order may change to reflect an expected guest lecture this term.

DateEvent or DeadlineLecture No. & TopicTutorial Section
Jan. 80. Welcome
Jan. 151. Introduction1,2
Jan. 222. Work1,2
Jan. 293. Diffusion1,2
Feb. 5Writing Assignment 1 Due4. Power1,2
Feb. 11Q&A 1 Due
Feb. 12Mid-Term 1
Feb. 18-22Reading Week
Feb. 265. Information3,4
March 46. Bio-Tech3,4
March 117. Weapons
March 188. Obsolescence3,4
March 25Writing Assignment 2 Due9. Progress3,4
March 31Q&A 2 Due
April 1Mid-Term 2

See http://www.quest.uwaterloo.ca/undergraduate/dates.html for more information regarding university dates for drop deadlines and related penalties.

Author: Scott Campbell <sm2campb@uwaterloo.ca>

Date: 2008/01/08 03:53:46 PM