Department of Science and Technology Studies
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—Fall 2000
STSS/STSH 1110 and IHSS 1960
Introduction to Science and Technology Studies
Tuesday / Friday 12:00 – 1:50 pm
Sage 3303
Instructor: Atsushi Akera
/ Sage 5206
Office Hours: TF 4-5p, or by appointment
Section (CRN) Meet in: Instructor: Office Ofc Hrs.
STSH1110.01 (20167) Sage 4112 Jill Fisher () Sage 5502 TBA
STSS1110.01 (20571) Sage 4112 " " "
IHSS1960.22 (20633) Sage 3705 Jason Patton () Sage 5704 TBA
IHSS1960.23 (20634) Lally 104 Virginia Eubanks (eubanv@rpi,edu) Sage 5704 TBA
IHSS1960.24 (20635) Sage 5510 Ariel Bergmann () TBA TBA
IHSS1960.25 (23636) Sage 4203 John Polimeni() TBA TBA
IHSS1960.40 (23303) * *See instructor for section and room assignment
Course Description:
This course is designed to provide you with an entry into Science and Technology Studies. It will introduce you to the multiple ways in which science and technology, individuals and institutions, and nature and economy mutually shape one another to the benefit, and occasional detriment of society. In this course, we encourage students to take a “critical” attitude towards technical knowledge. By this, we don’t mean tearing science and engineering apart. However, like a movie critic, we would like you to be able to judge the good from the bad. Is MP3 good for musical artistry? Do you like the Laptop Initiative? Could Microsoft design a less annoying word processor? What are the plusses and minuses of our car culture and the suburban ideal? And should the government have funded the Superconducting Super-Collider? Should there be more AIDS research?
More importantly, we would like you to recognize that all of the judgments we make about science and technology are subjective. We would like you to begin asking such questions as, who benefits? Who gets left out? What do we gain? What do we lose? What makes science and technology exciting? What gets buried in our rush to try something new? Instead of just asking “why not change the world,” to use a popular phrase here at RPI, we would like you to form your own sense of the kind of world that you would like to create through your engineering and scientific work. This course also offers an intellectual foundation for STS majors and minors, and for students interested in taking higher-level courses within the department.
Overview of Course Requirements:
· Weekly short essays -300 words each 331/3%
· Team Paper -Ten pages, written in groups of 3-5 people 331/3%
· Class participation 331/3%
The instructors reserve the right to modify a final grade based on the individual circumstances of each student. Class participation grades are issued through the sole discretion of the instructor of your section.
Required Texts:
· Albert Teich, ed., Technology and the Future (available in RPI bookstore.)
· Introduction to STS course reader, a bound set of xeroxed readings (purchase from Anne DeCelle, Sage 5202)
· Online articles and websites obtained at designated URLs.
What is STS?
Read this syllabus and other handouts carefully. They are your bible to some of the concepts that “count” in this course, and they spell out the work you have to do. You will find it useful to think in terms of the various disciplinary components that together make up Science and Technology Studies. Some of the questions raised in these component disciplines are as follows:
· Philosophy: What is technology? How do we construct scientific knowledge? Are there truths? How do technologies mediate our perception of reality? Are technologies value-neutral? Or, alternatively, are technologies merely “tools”? What does it mean for a technology to be valenced towards a particular purpose? Are technology and society distinct entities? What is a sociotechincal system? In what ways can society influence the course of scientific research? What is the relationship between science and technology?
· History: What are the uses of history? How can we learn from history so we do not repeat past mistakes? More in the Nietzschean sense, can history provide us with a sense of alternate realities towards which we can direct our technical work? How does history help develop humanistic sensibilities that are, or ought to be a part of scientific and engineering work? How important has technology been to Western societies? To non-Western societies? How has science and technology changed our economy? How do corporations, national governments, and local governments shape technological development, and what consequences has this had?
· Social Studies: Why are women less likely to be engineers? What is the anatomy of environmental racism? To what extent does technology contribute to racial and economic segregation and the decline of the inner city? Does the Internet promise to increase or decrease social inequalities, and how might changes in the technology reduce or exacerbate this effect? How do technology and consumerism define our leisure? How does technology shape our workplace? Why are women more likely to be engineers today than thirty years ago?
· Ethics: What is the purpose of science? How should technology be used? How should we distribute the risks and benefits of science and technology? How should we weigh present benefits against future liabilities? What responsibilities do scientists have for the knowledge they create? What responsibilities do engineers have for public safety? Are engineers “mere employees,” or do they have professional and ethical responsibilities, as do doctors and lawyers? What are the limitations of professional ethics? Can there be higher standards for ethics? Would you be willing to abide by them?
· Political Science: What is the proper sphere of public involvement? What are the rights of the corporation? What are the rights of individuals? When does public interest outweigh the economic interests of corporations? What is democracy? Does the United States practice a strong form of participatory democracy? What mode, or modes of democratic governance do we have in the United States today? Is the regulatory apparatus of our government sufficient to protect our public interests? How can the system of governance be altered for the benefit of consumers? When and under what circumstances can this be justified?
Weekly Short Essays:
The purpose of the short essays is to allow you to state your opinions about each week’s assigned readings and designated websites. Short essays must be typed, double-spaced, and at least 300 words in length. All short essays are due on Tuesdays, except where stated in the syllabus (Note: the first two essays are due on Fridays). Short essays are essentially graded on a pass/fail basis. See “Appendix,” which follows the syllabus in the Introduction to STS course reader, for further instructions.
Your final short essay grade will be based on the following scale:
A 11 Passes (out of a possible 12)
B 9 or 10 Passes
C 7 or 8 Passes
D 5 or 6 Passes
F Less than 5 Passes
Team Paper:
You will have two options for the team paper. The first is essentially a take-home written exam, which you will produce in teams of three to five people. The second is a group design exercise, where you will be asked to improve upon any product or artifact of your own choosing. Under both options, you will be given a set of questions to answer early on in the semester, which you and your team members may answer through any legitimate form of collaboration. You will submit three drafts of the team paper. The comments from the instructor of your section should be a valuable resource for improving your paper. In addition, you will each be asked to submit a two to four page individual paper (typed, double spaced) along with the final draft of the team paper, and participate in a group presentation on the final day of class. There is an individual and group component to the team paper grade.
The deadlines for the Team Paper is as follows:
September 15 Assignment distributed / Teams assigned in class
October 13 First Draft
November 10 Second Draft
December 8 Final Draft, plus a two to four page individual paper
Class Participation:
Consider the opening lecture. Social knowledge differs from technical knowledge in that it requires active engagement and participation. Class participation grades will be issued at the sole discretion of the instructor of your section. In general, it will include an individual component, which will weigh how your comments, creativity, and conduct add to class discussion. Your class participation grade will also include a group component that will consider the performance of your section as a whole. Your comments and conduct in plenary (the large group meeting) will be considered in weighing class participation.
You and other members of your team (from the team paper) may also be asked, either spontaneously or in advance, to lead the class discussion for your section. If asked in advance, your team should prepare to bring ideas and/or material that will facilitate class discussion. Your instructor may also provide a list of questions to help you guide the discussions.
The Fine Print:
Attendance: As a matter of policy, attendance is required in all H&SS courses. You must attend both plenary and section. If you miss more than two classes (plenary and/or section), you must make up any additional absences through extra assignments as negotiated with your section instructor. In addition, you are still responsible for turning in all other written assignments for the week of your absence. If you miss a scheduled meeting with your section instructor without notifying him or her twenty-four hours in advance (use email), this will also count as an absence.
Late Submissions: Late papers and short essays will be accepted only through specific arrangement with your section instructor.
Writing vs. Class Participation: Class participation is a substantial part of the grade for this course. However, in recognizing that some students have real difficulties speaking up in class, the section instructor, at her or his discretion, may grant individual students the right to place greater emphasis on their weekly short essays in lieu of class participation. If so, the quality of the short essays will be considered in assigning a modified class participation grade. Please speak to your section instructor if you are concerned about this issue.
Gender Fair Language: Students in this course are expected to use gender fair language in their writing. Every time you use a masculine-oriented word to refer to people in general, the implicit effect, even if unintended, is to whisper: women don’t count. Essays that do not use gender fair language will not receive a passing grade. If you are unfamiliar with the practice of gender fair writing, you should read "Gender Fair Language,” written by Jenny Redfern of RPI’s Writing Center. See, www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/genderfair.html.
The Writing Center: Writing is an important component of scientific and engineering work. Believe it. In addition to proposals and reports, you will be writing five to ten memos and emails each day. Your performance will always be evaluated on how well you convey your ideas. Periodically, you may be advised to seek out the services of the Writing Center. The Writing Center is located in Sage 4508. You may obtain further information at 276-8983, or www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/.
Your section instructor may also require you to have someone at the Writing Center go over your short essay or team paper draft before you can submit a revision for consideration. You must obtain a stamp from the Writing Center, and then turn in both the stamped and revised version of your paper or essay. Keep in mind that improving the writing on your short essay may not be enough to receive a passing grade, if its content remains inadequate.
ESL / LD Students: The requirements for this course will be adjusted to serve the needs and capabilities of ESL and LD students. Students who have difficulties reading or writing should feel free to notify their section instructor about their particular situation. In general, the guideline we will use is to require at least four hours of reading per week. Likewise, ESL/LD student should expect to spend one-and-a-half hours a week on their short essay assignments. Students may be advised to attend additional sessions during the instructor's office hours so they can draw comparable value from the course.
Academic Dishonesty: Student-teacher relationships are built on trust. Students must trust that teachers have made appropriate decisions about the structure and content of the course, and teachers must trust that the assignments students turn in are their own. Acts that violate this trust undermine the educational enterprise. They contradict our very reason for being at Rensselaer. The Rensselaer Handbook defines various forms of academic dishonesty and the procedures for responding to them. Students should note, in particular, that the penalties of plagiarism can be quite harsh.
Weekly Readings and Assignments:
Week 1: Technological Interdependence August 28 & September 1
Readings:
Ed Ayres, “The History of a Cup of Coffee,” World Watch (October 1994).
Ed Ayres, “An Order of French Fries,” World Watch (February 1995).
James Burke, “The Trigger Effect,” Chapter 1 from Connections (1978).
Gary Davis, Catherine Wilt, and Jack Barkenbus, “Extended Product Responsibility: A Tool for a Sustainable Economy,” Environment (September 1997). [p.10-15 Required, 36-37 Optional]