Humanities 1
The Social Life of (Technical)
Objects
Fall 2006
course schedule
Instructor:
Professor
Marianne de Laet
1259
Parsons
x73812/70939
Office
hours: Tuesday/Thursday 1:15-2:45, or by appointment
Virtual office hours 6:30-8:30 PM on days before theses, papers and revisions
are due
Office: Jacobs 101B
teresa.boyer@cgu.edu
x70939
Virtual office hours TBA
Course
description
In
this course we read and write about technology as a social phenomenon; we
will look at the social life of things. Has your laptop taken your printer
on a date lately? Did your cell phone
throw a wild party and leave your house in disorder? Unlikely. The social
life of technical objects does not involve dating or partying. However, it
does involve complex interactions, systems, and social relationships.
This class offers an anthropological introduction to these interactions between
society and technology: it examines how society is reflected in the technology
it creates and how technology, in turn, shapes society. We will be using a
range of materials: case studies (including
the bicycle and the atomic bomb); literature
(Copenhagen, perhaps Brave New World); documentary films; and feature movies. Our
discussions and explorations will be a step towards your understanding, as
future scientists and engineers, of the connections between your work and
the world around you.
Course goals
By the end of this course you will have gained practice with academic reading and writing. The course is meant to help you find your way in this new mode of writing, and to guide you in developing the kind of critical thinking that supports such writing. Moreover, you will have experimented with an “anthropological” way of looking at the (technical) objects we make and the ways in which they form our world, and you will understand how such objects are social as well as technical in nature. In the course of the semester you will be required to write two essays and one research paper, and to submit revisions oftwo of these papers -- the third paper you will revise on your won. A first draft of each paper will be peer reviewed in class. It is imperative that you bring a full first draft of your paper to each peer review date (see below). Failure to do so will cost you! At the end of the semester you will hand in a writing portfolio which comprises your three (revised) papers. This portfolio will be graded by an "outside reader" -- a member of the humanities 1 staff who is not familiar with the course topic. Your challenge in this course is learning to write in an academic area of specialization (in our case, the social life of technical objects) in an informed manner, and for a wider, non-specialized audience.
Schedule
Texts
Michael Frayn Copenhagen
Jeff Hughes The Manhattan Project
Andrea Lunsford The St. Martin's Handbook 5th Edition
George Orwell
Handouts
IMPORTANT DATES
|
September 18
|
Paper 1, first draft |
Bring to class for peer review* |
|
September
20
|
Final
version first paper due |
|
|
October 9
|
Paper
2, first draft |
Peer
review |
|
October
11
|
Final
version 2nd paper due |
|
|
|
FALL BREAK | |
|
|
|
REVISION WORKDAYS
|
|
October
20
|
|
|
|
November 13
|
Paper
3 (research paper), first draft
|
Peer
review |
|
November 15 |
Final
version 3rd paper due |
|
|
November
20, 21, 22
|
|
ADVISING DAYS -- REVISION WORKDAYS
|
|
November
23-26
|
|
|
|
November
28
|
Revision 2 due
|
|
|
November
29
|
Portfolio Plan due
|
|
|
November
31
|
|
Peer
review
|
|
December 4
|
Portfolio introduction due
|
Portfolio
revision week |
|
December
4-8
|
Research
presentations |
Peer
graded |
|
December
8
|
Portfolio
due |
LAST DAY OF CLASSES
|
* for
all peer review sessions, be on time and bring your paper to class!
Policies
This
class is writing intensive and highly interactive. This means that you are
expected to do all reading and writing assignments; you should always be
prepared to discuss the materials. We encourage you to bring your experiences
and knowledge to the class discussion; you know and you think more about the
social life of technology than you know. This, however, doe not give you a
license to blab. One goal here is to develop critical thinking, which includes
an ability to make contributions and interventions tat are pertinent to the
matter at hand. Interaction also means that we are flexible about reading and
writing assignments; there is a basic schedule that we try to follow and
complete by the end of the semester but we make adjustments in accordance with
class discussions. You will typically be asked to read before each class So,
keep informed about what you are required to read or prepare for each class
period. If you miss an assignment ask your classmates or instructors or check
the Sakai site.
Attendance
is mandatory (you can miss up to two classes without notice), and late
assignments will not be accepted. However, if you have good reason for being
late or absent, and you notify us in advance, we will try to accommodate you.
We take it as a given that all class work is in accordance with the honor code.
We can be reached by phone, email, and in person during office hours. If you
want to speak to us outside of office hours, please make an appointment if at
all possible. Outside office hours you are welcome to stop by Prof. De Laet’s
office unannounced but there is a risk that you will be asked to come back at a
more convenient moment. If you send email please do not expect an instant response; it may take a day or two before we
can get back to you and on weekends we are off duty. We encourage you to take
an active role in the class proceedings. This means not only that we expect you
to participate in shaping class “content” –
class discussion and exercises – we also hope that you will take
responsibility for “process.” We welcome and value your thoughts and comments
on how we run the class.
Graded Work
This
course is writing intensive. You write 3 papers during the semester, one of
which has a research component; the other two are response papers to readings,
exercises, and class discussions.
Revisions (10p each)
In the course of the semester you
revisit, re-envision, and revise two of these papers. Base your revisions on comments from
peers and instructors, as well as on your own developing thoughts. We don’t
want you to write entirely new papers; the grade is for the quality and extent
of your revision. Learning from critique and interaction is an important aspect
of academic writing and so we are interested to see how you incorporate
comments and developing thoughts.
Portfolio (20 p)
The
portfolio includes all three (revised) papers you wrote during the semester. The papers should be accompanied by an
introduction that ties them together. The portfolio will be evaluated by an outside reader; typically this is another member of the hum 1 staff. In order to pass the class a passing portfolio is required.
Extra Credit (1p
per assignment/exercise)
Writing assignments and library exercise
Presentation
A
formal oral presentation of the portfolio will be delivered to the entire
class. (5 p)
Class
participation
Attendance
and class participation are required. (10 p)