HPSC X210 Technology and Culture

Fall 2008 Schedule and Syllabus

Instructor

(Prof.) Colin Allen <colallen@indiana.edu> Goodbody Hall 113, 855-8916
Office hours: M 1:45-2:45; W 11-12 (at IMU); and by apointment

Subject Matter

Although human technology predates science, technology and science have been become so intertwined that it is impossible to understand one without understanding the other. As technology has developed from the production of individually-crafted stone axes to the products of a massive scientific enterprise which has given us everything from supercomputers to weapons of mass destruction, so too has our conception of technology changed. We have gone from viewing technology as the controllable product of deliberate human artifice to viewing it as possessing its own evolutionary dynamics which put it beyond effective human control. As our relationships to technology have changed, so too have human attitudes to it diversified, ranging from techno-utopianism, through passive acceptance, to a level of techno-phobia that sometimes even leads to terrorist acts. This course begins with a survey of the philosophy of technology during which we will consider questions such as the following: Is technology a uniquely human trait? Is modern technology the product of a particular human culture? What do science and technology have to do with each other? Is technology gendered? Is technological change inevitable or desirable? During the second part of the course will focus developments in autonomous software and robotics that lead to questions about the limits of technology and the possibility and desirability of scientific and technological approaches to ethical decision making.

Texts

• Dusek, V. 2006. Philosophy of Technology: An Introduction. Blackwell.
  [Abbreviated as PoT in schedule below.]
• Wallach, W. & Allen, C. 2009. Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right from Wrong. Oxford University Press.
  [Abbreviated as MM in schedule below.]

Assignments and Grading

You will be assigned a course grade based two exams (20% each) and a portfolio(60%) that you will maintain and submit at regular periods for evaluation. Each iteration of your portfolio should contain the following elements:

• Short Answers:
  • For every chapter of PoT assigned that week, a short written (typed) answer of 150-300 words to one of the questions asked at the end of the chapter. You may select any question from the list.
  • For every chapter of MM assigned that week, a written discussion 150-300 words of one issue raised by the chapter.
• Any quizzes or notes from in-class exercises.
• Media and Technology Critique:
  • One clipping of a current (since 2005) news media report on some technological issue and one historical example (pre 1970). Sources for current items might include: the New York Times technology section, Popular Science, CNET News, Wired Magazine, or other mainstream media source. Sources for historical items are mostly likely to require library research.
  • A short reaction piece (150-300 words) to one or both news items, providing analysis in terms of any theme introduced in the course so far.
• Summary report: A 2-4 page (500-1000 words) argumentative piece, stating and defending position on a major theme discussed in the readings or class since the previous portfolio submission. Use of media technology reports or science fiction (movies or literature) to illustrate points or as targets of criticism is encouraged.

The portfolio should be cumulative -- i.e., each time you turn in a copy, it should contain the previous material as well. The portfolio will be graded according to the following criteria:

• Accurate representation of the philosophical views and arguments encountered in the course.
• Care with which arguments are presented in answering questions.
• Appropriateness to the course content of the media items selected for presentation.
• How well philosophical issues raised in the readings and lectures are integrated into the media critique.
• Originality and care with with which arguments are stated and defended in the summary report, and appropriate technology or media examples are used to illustrated points.

Format: Your portfolio may be submitted on paper. Alternatively, a variety of electronic formats are possible, including word-processed documents, websites, blogs, or OnCourse folders.Regardless of the format selected, your portfolio should be clearly organized so that the structure outlined above is obvious.

All work must be entirely your own, with appropriate citations used when the ideas of others are discussed or reported. See the IU School of Education plagiarism tutorial if you are unsure what is required.

Reading and Assignment Schedule

Statement for Students with Disabilities

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact IU Disability Services for Students.

Statement about Academic Misconduct

University rules concerning academic misconduct will be rigorously enforced in this class. See IU Code of Ethics, Part II for details.