IDSC 252   Society, Ethics, and Technology    (SET)

The College of New Jersey - Interdisciplinary Core Course    3 S.H. Credits

I. Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with a framework for understanding the ways in which human societies transform themselves through technological innovation and for assessing the social and ethical issues associated with technological change. New technologies extend human powers and enlarge social options, but also often give rise to unwanted social and environmental consequences and lead to troubling ethical problems. These general themes will be developed by means of a series of lectures, associated course readings, classroom activities and exercises in seminar sections during which students will explore past and present developments in various fields of technology and discuss the ethical and social issues they raise.

Lectures: Seven Mondays - 11:00 to 12:20, Kendall Hall Main Auditorium -

Seminars: Each week - Monday thru Friday

Prerequisite: IDSC 151 – Athens to New York

Textbook:

Morton Winston and Ralph Edelbach (Eds.). Society, Ethics and Technology.
    (Belmont, CA   Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1999)   [SET]
C. E. Harris, Jr.. Applying Moral Theories. Third Edition. (Belmont, CA:
    Wadsworth Publishing Co., 1997)   [AMT]

Coordinator of the Interdisciplinary Core:

Dr. Ralph Edelbach,
   Department of Technological Studies, x 2783 Armstrong 130 edelbach@tcnj.edu

II. Course Requirements, Policies, and Procedures:

Course Readings: This syllabus provides a guide to the common or core readings for this course (Section IV). Seminar instructors will be in seated with their sections. Students are to complete a "Exit Essay" at the end of each lecture and submit it to their seminar instructors prior to leaving. Essays will be factored into the student's participation grade for the course. Student essay comments may also be used during seminars for discussions. The forms to be used for these "Exit Essays" are located on the SET web page and WILL NOT be distributed at lectures. Each student should print out a sufficient number of copies for use during the semester. (Typographical errors are the fault of the publisher!

Course Exams: There will be a midterm and a final exam in this course. Half of the midterm and final exam test items will be generated by each seminar’s instructor. The other half of the exam will be drawn from a battery of common essay questions available on the SET web page for student review. Test items will be based on lectures, readings and seminar information. Seminar instructors will provide more details on their policy regarding both quizzes and examinations.

Projects: There will be two major student projects: a group design activity and an ethics case analysis. Details on these assignments will be discussed at the appropriate times in your seminar sections with additional information available on the SET web site. Additional assignments are at the discretion of each seminar instructor.

Student participation: This will be assessed based on exit essays, participation in class discussion, attendance, reading quizzes or other means as determined by individual seminar instructors.

Weighting of Exams and Assignments: Final course grades will be based on each seminar instructor's evaluation of student performance in five areas; using the following weights:

1. Midterm Exam                 20 %
2. Final Exam                       20 %
3. Design Project                20 %
4. Ethics Case Analysis    20 %
5. Participation                   20 %

Ethical Behavior: Consult the TCNJ Student Handbook for a review of college policies regarding plagiarism and cheating on assignments and exams. These policies will be strictly enforced.

III. Course Goals and Major Themes:

General Education at The College of New Jersey:

As stated in the student handbook, "An undergraduate education at The College of New Jersey includes both intensive instruction in a major program of studies and extensive grounding in general education. General education promotes learning that is of value to students whatever careers or advanced degrees they may choose to pursue." The college has developed a comprehensive set of objectives with the expectation that its graduates will achieve a basic knowledge and proficiency in the twelve goals listed in the student handbook.

In keeping with those goals and as part of the interdisciplinary core, the SET course is primarily designed to give students the ability to understand the ways in which society transforms itself through technological innovation and the impact which such changes are producing for the world as we approach the beginning of the 21^st century. IDSC 252 is also designed to help students to develop general problem-solving skills and, in particular, to develop the knowledge and skill necessary to analyze moral issues and to make ethical decisions concerning applications and uses of contemporary technologies.

IV. Lecture Schedule and Associated Reading Assignments * -
        readings may be altered by individual seminar instructors. Check with your instructor
        to determine the readings for which you will be held responsible.

Lecture # 1:    "Historical Perspectives"               Sep 13

Lecturer: Dr. John Hutchinson
Readings: *

SET - Introduction.. pp. xi - xxxiv
SET - Roberts, J.M. "A Short History of the World
SET - White, Lynn, "The Act of Invention,"
   Technological as A Human Affair
SET - Cowan, Ruth. "Industrial Society and
   Technological Systems," A Social History
   of American Technology

* - Your seminar instructor may modify the list of readings to be completed. Check with your instructor!

Lecture # 2: "Traditional Ethical Theories and the New Task of Ethics"     Sep 27

Lecturer: Dr. Morton Winston
Readings:

SET - Jonas, Hans, "Technology and Responsibility:
   Reflections on the New Tasks of Ethics", Philosophy
   Essays, pp. 100 – 111.
SET - Dyson, Freeman, "Technology and Social Justice"
AMT – Chapter 1, pp.   75 – 125.

Lecture # 3:      "Social Perspectives "            Oct 4

Lecturer: Dr. Marcia Sternberg
Readings:

SET - Bush, Corlann Gee. "Women and the Assessment
   of Technology," Machina Ex Dea
SET - Postman, Neil, "Invisible Technologies"
   Technopoly"
SET - Sclove, Richard, "I’d Hammer Out Freedom,"
   Democracy and Technology
AMT – Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 and appendix

Lecture # 4: "Computer and Information Technology "   Oct 18

Lecturer:   Dr. Joe Flynn
Readings:

SET - Edgar, Stacey, "Privacy," Morals and Machines:
   Perspectives in Computer Ethics, pp. 170 – 187.

Midterm Exam in Seminars- Covers Lecture 1 through Lecture 3   Week of Oct 11

Seminars:   Design Project Due                                                     Week of

Lecture #5:   "Globalization and the Future of Work "                         Nov 1

Lecturer: Dr. Ralph Edelbach
Readings:

EBSCO Host- Sachs, Jeffrey. "International Economics:
   Unlocking The Mysteries of Globalization"
   Foreign Policy, Spring, 1998, pp. 97 -  111. **
SET - Rifkin, Jeremy. The End of Work

Seminars:    Ethics Case Assigned   -    Week of Mar 29

Reading: AMT – Appendix I , pp. 191 – 194.

Lecture # 6: "Biotechnology"      Nov 15

Lecturer:  Dr. Leslie Rice
Readings:

SET - Wachbroit, Robert, "The Ethics of Human Cloning"
EBSCO Host- Shenk, David. "Biocapitalism: What Price the Genetic Rveolution" **

Lecture # 7: "Population and Environmental Policy"      Nov 29

Lecturer:  Dr. Ed Rockel
Readings:

SET - Hardin, Garrett, "The Tragedy of the Commons", Managing the Commons,   ( remainer of article on SET web site - click here)
SET - Kates, Robert, "Sustaining Life on Earth" pp. 225 – 232.
AMT – Chapter 8, pp. 156 – 190

FINAL Exam - Covers Lecture 4 through Lecture 7 -      Week of Dec 13
           Schedule will be announced by mid-April

V. Additional Course Resources

SET WEB Page:

A web site has been established for this course. Included on it are:

assignment information
bibliographies
course syllabus
handouts
E -mail boxes for SET faculty and
      phone numbers
lecture web-site references
sample exam questions
schedules
study guide
other pertinent information

You will be introduced to both the World Wide Web and the SET page during a seminar session held early in the semester.

The SET URL is:  http://www.tcnj.edu/~set/set.htm

INFOTRAC:

In addition to the course texts and web site, students in this course will have access to ITP’s INFOTRAC College Edition, a searchable full text library containing over 500,000 articles from over 600 publications. Basic instructions on how to access and use this resource are found in the "How to Use This Book" section of the SET reader. A link to INFOTRAC College Edition has also been placed on the SET web page. Your seminar instructors will provide additional guidance as to the ways in which INFOTRAC will be used in this course.

INFOTRAC web address:  http://www.infotrac-college.com/wadsworth

The Center for Technology Education:

Armstrong Hall, room 116, houses the Center for Technology Education. It contains a collection of books, journals, and videos related to various aspects of technology. Students can browse this collection, and may borrow some materials. Feel free to drop in. Seminar instructors have more information on these as well as other appropriate course resources.

**    EBSCOhost can only be accessed from the TCNJ campus or if you are dialing directly into the college server! Click on TCNJ library "Electronic Resorces on the TCNJ home page, then EBSCOhost about half-way down that page, and then EBSCOhost 3.0, followed by the "ENTER" button for "MasterFILEpremier."  Search for  "Sachs" under "Find" and "foreign policy" under "Magazine."
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