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Hudson Valley Community College

Troy, New York 12180

Syllabus for Fall 2017

SOCL 255 Technology in Society

Course Description: This course considers the nature of the interaction

among science, technology, and society, the consequences of such

interaction, and possible future trends of interaction. It will use

readings from leading theorists in a variety of disciplines to look at

current event topics that relate to technology and society. It will focus

on helping students to develop an awareness of the impact of

technology on their lives and to develop the knowledge base

necessary to be good decision makers when dealing with these issues

in their daily life. This course is designed for students from all

curricula and will employ a multidisciplinary approach to the subject

matter. Note: This course is open only to students in one of the

Honors Advisement tracks or by permission of the Department Chair.

Department: History, Philosophy, and Social Sciences

Course/Section: SOCL 255 ABC Technology in Society MWR 1:00—1:50PM

Credit Hours: Three (3)

Instructor: Dr. E.R. Rugenstein, Cultural History

Office Location & Hours: Marvin Library Faculty Office Wing: Office 101

Tuesday X:000am – Y:00pm, Wednesday X:50xm – Y:30am, and by

appointment

Texts: Kaku, Michio, Physics of the Future. New York, NY: Anchor Books,

Random House Inc., 2012

Carr, Nicholas, The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our

Brains, New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011

Winston, Morton and Ralph Edelbach, Society,

Ethics, and Technology 5th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth Cengage

Learning, 2014

Zinn, Howard, A People’s History of the United States

New York, NY: Harper & Roe Publishers, 2003

Objectives: Students will:

1. Discuss effects of technological change.

2. Discuss implications of “future shock”.

3. Gain an understanding of the ways society-technology-

science interact and enhance each other.

4. Discuss the differences between the macro-level and micro-

level impacts of science and technology.

5. Identify the prior inventors and their invention, which

preceded a paradigmatic change.

6. Design a paradigmatic model, which filters and prioritizes

technological change. NCATE STD

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Mid-Term Exam, DBQs,

& Final Oral Presentations: DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA AS A SOURCE ON

ANY ASSIGNMENT, TEST OR ESSAY IN THIS CLASS.

Wikipedia is a non-scholarly source without any form of peer

review. If you use Wikipedia for a source you will lose 15 points

from the assignment automatically.

Mid-Term Exam – The Mid-term is a short answer exam based on

the readings in the course texts and the class lectures. Information

Sheets are allowed.

Data Based Questions – DBQs are in two parts. Part 1 consists of a

number of documents, pictures, or lyrics with questions to be

answered. Use this information to answer the questions. Answers for

Part 1 should be a typed document. Part 2 is a directed essay based on

the documents, course texts, and independent research of the student.

Essays should be at least 400 words, using Times/Times-New Roman

typestyle, one inch margins, double-spaced, with citations and

bibliography. Part 2 essays should standalone and not added onto/into

Part 1.

Final Oral Presentation – Each student will give a minimum seven

(7) minute presentation on a topic of their interest from the course.

Separate instructions will be given on the important points on this

assignment. It is important that you do not miss the class when the

presentations are given

Grade Breakdown: Mid-Term Exam 150 pts.

Data Based Question (100pts/ea) 400 pts

Final Project Oral Presentation 550 pts.

Participation/Attendance 100 pts.

Total Points 1200 pts. Max

Possible Extra Credit 80 pts.

A Excellent (4.0) 1110 points and above B Very Good (3.0) 1020-1109

C Average (2.0) 930-1019

D Passing (1.0) 840-929

F Failure (0.0) 839 and below.

Reading Assignments:

Week Week of: Author/Reading Topic

1 August 28 * Discussion: As you have grown up how has A Prologue to the Class

technology changed and has it changed

your life? * Richards - Ted Talks: A Radical Experiment in Empathy What is and what will

* Carr - Chapts. 2 - 4: The Vital Paths, Tools of the Mind, be Technology?

The Deepening Page, & The Digressions

2 September 4 * Hills - Ted Talks: Back to the Future (of 1994) What is and what will

* Teich - Section Part I: Thinking About Technology be Technology?

* Kaku - Introduction: Predicting the Next 100 Years * Carr - Prologue & Chapt. 1: Hal and Me

• September 4 No Class

3 September 11 * Industrial Revolution Presentations 18th Century: Changes * Zinn - Chapt. 10: The Other Civil War in technology and its

* La Force - Technological Diffusion in the 18th impact on society

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Century: The Spanish Textile Industry

September 13 DBQ #1(Due) 4 September 18 * Industrial Revolution Presentations Cont. 19th Century: Changes

* Fin de Siécle Presentation (End of a Century/New Beginning) in technology and its

* Zinn - Chapts. 11, 12, 13: Robber Barons and Rebels, The impact on society Empire and the People & The Socialist Challenge

5 September 25 *Zinn - Chapts. 14, 15, 16: War is the Health of the State, Self 1900-1950: Changes

Help in Hard Times, & A People’s War in technology and * Teich - Section Part VI, Chapter 21 An Unforeseen Revolution: its impact on society.

Computer & Expectations 1935-1986

6 October 2 * Zinn - Chapts.18, 19: The Impossible Victory -Vietnam 1950-1980: Changes & Surprises in technology and

* Teich - Section Part VI: Chapt. 22 Why I Am Not Buying its impact on society.

A Computer * Carr - Chapts. 5,6,7: A Medium of the Most General Nature,

The Very Image of a Book, & The Juggler’s Brain and the Digression

• October 9 No Classes

October 13 DBQ #2 (Due)

7 October 16 * Teich - Section Part II: Debating Technology: 1960s Style 1980-2000: Changes

* Teich - Section Part VI: Chapt. 25: Net Neutrality 101, in technology and Chapt. 26 Managing Broadband Networks its impact on society

* Kaku - Chapt. 1: Future of Computers

* Lean - BBC Historyextra: A Brave New World: The 1980s Home Computer Boom

October 18 Mid-Term Exam

8 October 23 * Carr - Chapts. 8, 9: The Church of Google, Search, Memory, 2000-2015: Changes & Digression in technology and

* Teich - Section Part III: Debating Technology: 21st Century its impact on society Style

* Kaku - Chapt. 2: Future of AI

* Murray - Mathematical Association of America: Y2K: A Personal History

9 October 30 * Teich - Section Part IV & V: Debating Technology: 2015-2030: Changes

Contemporary Climate Change, & The New Biology in technology and * Kaku - Chapt. 3 & 4: Future of Medicine & Nano-technology its impact on society

* Suresh – The 14th Israel Materials Engineering Conference:

Materials Sciemce at the Intersections of Nanotechnology,

Life Sciences, and Medicine

10 November 6 * Teich - Section Part VII: Governance and Globalization 2030-2050: Changes

* Doequier & Rapoport - Journal of Economic Literature: in technology and Globalization, Brain Drain, and Development its impact on society

* Frey - Futurespeaker: 2 Billion Jobs to Disappear by 2030

* Frey – Ted Talks: 2 Billion Jobs to Disappear by 2030 11 November 13 * Kaku - Chapt.5: Future of Energg 2050 to the Future:

* Mazurek - Clean Energy Documentary: The Future of Energy: How will technology

Lateral Power to the People and society impact * Gibbs - Scientific America: Plan B for Energy:8 each other?

Revolutionary Energy Sources

November 17 DBQ #3 (Due)

12 November 20 * Kaku - Chapt. 7 & 8: Future of Wealth & Humanity The Future: How will

* Stahl - CBSN: The Future of Money technology & Society

* Narula - Ted Talk: The Future of Money impact each other? • November 22-25 No Classes

13 November 27 * Kaku - Chapt. 6 & 9: Future of Space Travel & A Day The Future & An

in the Life in 2100 Epilogue to the class

* Carr - Chapt 10: A Thing Like Me, & Epilogue: Human

Elements

* Kaku - Nova: The Future of Space travel and the Prospects of Discovering Alien Life

* Discussion: What about the future and you?

November 29 Extra-Credit (Due)

December 1 DBQ #4 (Due) 14 December 4 Final Oral Presentations

15 December 11 Final Oral Presentations

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Plagiarism: Plagiarism is offering someone else's work as your own, whether one

sentence or whole paragraphs, and whether from an internet source,

book, periodical, or the writing of other students. It is also dishonest

to submit your own paper as original work in more than one course.

Penalties for plagiarism range from failing the assignment to

failing the course or suspension from HVCC, depending on the

seriousness of the breach of academic integrity. You will be turned

into the school administration if you are caught plagiarizing or

cheating. Even the first time.

Attendance: Attendance is a part of classroom participation and is required for

the course and includes all classes, exams, discussions and the final

presentation. Every time you attend class you earn 2 attendance

points per class. If you do not miss any classes, you will earn 100

points. In order to meet the minimum qualifications to be

considered attending you must accumulate at least 58 attendance

points and have taken the Mid-Term Exam and completed at least

two (2) DBQs. If you have not participated satisfactorily in the

course you will earn an administrative withdrawal, a "Z" grade.

Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. If you arrive late

or leave early from class, you are considered absent. It is also rude

to get up and walk out of the class once it has started

Classroom Behavior: Classroom behavior is another component of classroom participation.

I expect that you will show respect to fellow students and to myself.

Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Examples include talking,

snapping gum, playing on laptops, using electronic devices, passing

notes, throwing things, getting up and walking out of class

excessively, walking around the room to throw things into the trash,

etc. If you cause such disturbances you will be asked to leave and it

will result in loss of points for that day’s participation / attendance.

Except for laptops all electronic devices must be turned off during

class especially cell-phones, beepers, and CD Players. The

classroom is a free-thinking zone – you can express yourselves freely

as long as you are respectful of others and their views. Name calling

will not be tolerated.

Make-up Work & Late Work: There is no make-up work. If you miss a test or if

you hand work in late, you get a zero unless special

personal experiences have been communicated to

me within 24 hours of the test/assignment and we have worked out a

solution. If a make up date is

made for a test or an alternate due date is

needed you will get one attempt for a make up

test or an alternate due date. E-mail me at

r.rugenstein@hvcc.edu or call and leave a

message at (518) 629-7698. I preferemail.

Course Correspondence: All official correspondence and announcements for

this course will be made in class or through the

HVCC server only. No response will be made to

private e-mail addresses only to hvcc.edu addresses.

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Course Requirement

Signature Form: You must sign the Course Requirement Signature

Form after you fully understand the requirements

of this course. If after the in class instruction time

concerning the syllabus and the other course

requirements you still do not understand the

information presented you will have the

opportunity for a one-on-one meeting with the

professor. This is a mandatory assignment. Failure to sign

this form will incur a deduction of one letter grade from

your final grade.

Statement of College Policy

regarding Accommodations

for Students with Disabilities: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities

Act of 1990 and with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Hudson

Valley Community College is committed to ensuring educational

access and accommodations for all its registered students, in order

to fully participate in programs and course activities or to meet

course requirements. Hudson Valley Community College's

students with documented disabilities and medical conditions are

encouraged to access these services by registering with the Center

for Access and Assistive Technology or the Learning Disabilities

Specialist to discuss their particular needs for accommodations.

For information or an appointment contact the Center for Access

and Assistive Technology, located in room 130 of the Siek Campus

Center or call518-629-7154/TDD:518-629-7596 or contact the

Learning Disabilities Specialist located in the Learning Assistance

Center, in the lower level of the Marvin Library, phone number

629-7552

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EXTRA CREDIT There are a number of opportunities to receive extra credit for this course. The maximum number of extra

credit points that you will be able to earn is 80. All review forms, essays, and opinion papers must be

turned in no later than November 29, 2017. No Emails.

I) Cultural Events 20 points (and/or A, B, C):

A) Visit the NYS Museum, Madison Ave. (across from the Plaza). (Free

admission) Review the exhibit Fire Engine Hall. Look at how the different

advancing technology has had an impact on fire fighting. Write a 250-

word essay of your impression of the exhibits.

B) Visit the NYS Museum, Madison Ave. (across from the Plaza). (Free

admission) Review the exhibit Beneath the City: An Archaeological Perspective of Albany

Write a 250-word essay of your impression of the exhibit.

C) Visit the NYS Museum, Madison Ave. (across from the Plaza). (Free

admission) Review the exhibit Hudson Valley Ruins. Write a 250-word essay of your impression

of the exhibit.

II) Historic/Sociological/Technological Movie Reviews Ten (10) points for each movie review. (maximum of 50 points) For each movie

download the movie review form from blackboard, watch any of the following

movies, fill out the form while you are watching the movie, and turn it in before the

end of the semester as stated above.

Nineteen-eighty-four (1956)

Birth of A Nation (1915)

Judgment at Nuremburg (1961)

Das Boot (1981)

The Atomic Café (1982)

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)

Metropolis (1927)

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Course Requirement Signature Form

I understand the requirements for the course SOCL 255-XYZ and the various points of

the syllabus specifically the following:

Course Objectives: _______________________________

initial

Mid-Term Exam, DBQs,

& Final Oral Presentation: _______________________________

initial

Grade Breakdown: _______________________________

initial

Reading Assignments: _______________________________

initial

Plagiarism: _______________________________

initial

Attendance: _______________________________

initial

Classroom Behavior: _______________________________

initial

Make-up Work & Late Work: _______________________________

initial

Course Correspondence: _______________________________

initial

Extra-Credit: ________________________________

initial

Name: ___________________________________

print

___________________________________

signature

Date: _________________________