Last updated: 09 January 1997
URL: http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~pimple/a202-syl.html
Comments: pimple@indiana.edu
Copyright 1997, Kenneth D. Pimple, Ph.D.
Requirements |
Academic honesty |
Readings |
Week-by-week outline |
Electronic Conference |
Writing assignments and collaborative work |
Comments
The name "Frankenstein" evokes the very clear image of a monster created by a mad scientist. But the title character of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus, is not the monster, but the scientist. The novel is a touchstone for attitudes toward science and technology in the modern era, exploring the wondrous promise of science as well as its potential dangers, including its significant moral dangers.
Science and technology have a pervasive and intimate impact on
American life, and no one course can hope to touch on all aspects of
the topic. In this course, we will examine a few intriguing texts to
explore the intersection between values, science, and technology.
Students who take this course will (a) learn about the relationship
between science, technology, and values as expressed in a number of
works of American literature and folklore; (b) explore their own
attitudes toward science and values, and the place of science and
technology in their own lives; (c) improve their ability to work
collaboratively as a member of a team; (d) improve their critical
thinking skills; and (e) improve their writing skills.
I received the Ph.D. in Folklore from Indiana University in 1991,
and I am a Research Associate at the Poynter Center
for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions
at IU and a Visiting Lecturer at IU's American Studies Program. I will not keep office hours per se for this course, but I am usually available at the Poynter Center 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday-Friday. You should feel free to stop by, but it is usually wiser to call to make an appointment first (I am often in meetings). You can reach me via e-mail at pimple@indiana.edu;
via telephone most weekdays at 855-0261; and at home at
334-0764 (please do not call me at home before 9:00 am, after
9:00 pm, or the day before an exam).
Although this is an elective course, it is still a college course; expect to work hard and be challenged. The course requires reading, writing, class participation, collaborative work with your classmates, and thinking. It also requires some facility with computers; you will be expected to check your e-mail regularly, submit most assignments electronically, and be able to use the World Wide Web.
If you can't come to class or fulfill an assignment, I am happy to
discuss your options with you, if you have a reasonable excuse. But you have to think ahead. I do not accept
unreasonable excuses, such as, "My computer ate my paper," or, "I
didn't have a ribbon for my printer." You should always keep a backup and buy an extra ribbon now.
All students will be expected to attend class regularly; read all assignments; take part in class discussion; pass a midterm and a final exam; write and hand in four draft papers and four papers (described in more depth below); work collaboratively with classmates to improve their (and your) drafts; and take part in an electronic conference.
Two grades will be assigned for this class. You will receive a grade of S (satisfactory) or F (fail) for the quality of your writing to fulfill the Intensive Writing requirement. You will also receive a standard grade for the course as a whole, which will be assigned based on this scale:
When grading, I take into account the performance of the current class, previous classes, and my own judgment about the quality of work performed. Thus it is possible for everyone in a given course to be "above average" or "below average."
Attendance. Students may have two unexcused absences without penalty. Any further absences may result in a penalty of up to one-third of a letter grade per day missed (e.g., from a C to a C-). Students are always responsible for the material covered and should get class notes from classmates. If you are absent the day an assignment is due, you must have a good explanation for your absence, and your assignment will be due the first day you return.
Readings and Participation. Discussion will be an important component of this class; in-class participation is mandatory. In order to be able to participate, you must keep up with the assigned readings and have something to say about them.
Exams.There will be a mid-term and a final exam. Exams may have multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, short answer, and essay questions. Except for extraordinary circumstances, no early exams or make-up exams will be given.
The drafts, papers, collaborative work, and
electronic conference will be discussed in class; they are described at the end of this document.
In accordance with Indiana University's Code of Student Ethics, students taking A202 are expected to conduct themselves in an honest and ethical manner, to do their own work, and not to misrepresent anyone else's work or ideas as their own. This often means simply that students must properly attribute ideas to their sources, whether the sources are other students, class discussion, or publications. Students are encouraged to discuss ideas, comment on each others' electronic conference entries, and study for exams with each other; but exams and papers are finally the responsibility of the student handing them in. Academic dishonesty will be dealt with severely.
The following books, which are available at the IU Bookstore, are required reading for the course:
You are expected to read the assignments before coming to class.
Cluster 3
Allaire Forums is a conferencing system designed to be used via the World Wide Web. Time will be set aside early in the class for students to learn the basics of both the WWW and Allaire Forums (hereafter referred to simply as the electronic conference). The electronic conference can be used from any IU cluster; from any computer connected to the IU Network; or any computer capable of dialing in to php. (If you can use e-mail from your computer, you can use php.)
The electronic conference will allow students to post their drafts
and comment on classmates' drafts. It will also include links to official
class documents (including this syllabus) and announcements.
Everyone will be assigned to a collaborative team of four-to-six students. The teams will be stable through the semester.
The course is divided into four three-week clusters. One or two students from each team will be responsible for writing a draft paper on the reading for her or his assigned week. They will post their drafts on the electronic conference at least twenty-four hours before the first class meeting for the week.
I have prepared a list of potential topic sentences for each reading assignment. You may use one of the topics I suggest (probably with modifications) or write on anything about the reading that you find significant.
On Tuesday each week, we will discuss the reading. On Thursday, collaborative teams will meet to discuss the draft(s) written by members of their team, as well as comments made on the draft(s) by other class members. (See section on comments, below.) Teams will be trying to help each other improve their drafts as much as possible by commenting on both substantive and stylistic elements of the drafts. To facilitate team discussions, I have reserved two additional rooms for this class on Thursday mornings (BH 332 and BH 345).
One of the aims of this assignment is to help students develop skills required to do team work, an essential work skill these days. I hope that teams will work smoothly without my intervention, but if problems arise I will be happy to mediate and try to get things back on track.
I will grade each draft based primarily on substance -- e.g., the quality of the ideas presented, whether your argument is logical and well-supported, etc.
In addition to the feedback you receive from classmates and from me, you are encouraged to make use of IU's Writing Tutorial Services, or WTS (pronounced "wits"). You can meet with a WTS tutor or read selections from the WTS Library via the Web.
You will have a week to revise your draft and hand in a paper adapted from it. Papers will be graded on both substance and style -- e.g., spelling, grammar, clarity of expression, organization of the paper, etc.
Papers should be no shorter than 1,250 words (about five
double-spaced pages). You are not expected to do extra research
for the draft or the paper; a good argument based on the reading and class discussion is sufficient.
Every week in which you do not have a draft or a paper due, you will be expected to comment on at least one draft posted on the electronic conference by a classmate who is not on your collaborative team. Ideally you should post your comments before the first class period of the week, but you will not be penalized as long as they are posted before the second class period of the week.
Your comments are expected to be directed primarily at the substance of the draft's argument and to be critical. The word "critical" is often misunderstood to mean "negative" or "condemning." What I mean by critical is "exercising or involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation" (Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary). A critical comment should mention both strong and weak points of a draft.
I want to discourage you from taking a simply negative approach. It is always easy to find weaknesses, like "the writing was poor" or "this wasn't very interesting." It is also easy to pick apart an argument based on trivialities, but nothing much is accomplished by doing so. More difficult and more productive is weighing both the weaknesses and the strengths of a draft and seeing how you can build on it. This does not mean that you have to agree with everything the draft says, but you should try to get the most out of your classmate's ideas.
Your comments should be courteous and constructive. Remember that everyone can read and comment on your drafts as well, so if you trash someone, you are sure to be trashed in turn. But more importantly, we will all learn from each other much more effectively if we approach each other with an attitude of respect. This does not mean that we always have to agree with each other, or that we can't challenge each other's ideas; what it does mean is that we have to word our comments in a respectful and constructive manner. Thus, "That's the most stupid thing I've ever read," is inappropriate; but, "I can't quite see the point you're trying to make," or "I see that issue quite differently," are acceptable. In short, follow the Golden Rule and "do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Although you are not required to do so, you may comment on more than one person's draft, and you may comment on drafts during the weeks in which you have a draft or paper due. The more drafts you read and the more involved you get in the conference, the more you will learn and the more you will enjoy the course.
In case this is all too complicated to follow, one cluster might look like this for you:
Last updated: 09 January 1997
URL: http://php.ucs.indiana.edu/~pimple/a202-syl.html
Comments: pimple@indiana.edu
Copyright 1997, Kenneth D. Pimple, Ph.D.