GE 301: Science, Technology, and Society - Fall 2008   

• The explanations related to Taking Sides Assignment 1 can be found here.
  
  
• Please note the following related to edition number of the required textbooks:
  
  • The second edition of the textbook with the authors Hjorth et. al will be used. This edition number is the same with the one used in the previous years.
  • The eighth edition of the textbook with the author Easton will be used. The page numbers related to the assignments will be given in accordance with eighth edition. Note that the edition we use this term is different from the one used in the previous year.
  
  
• Each week buses for transportation to the Concert Hall will be ready at 13:40 on the road about the B-block entrance of the Engineering Faculty (EB), OR you may go by yourself and be seated at the concert Hall by 13:55.
   
  

Important announcements will be made here; check frequently

Course description (PDF)

Instructors

• Haldun Ozaktas, haldun[a-t]ee bilkent edu tr, tel: 1619, EA-204, Off.hours: Tu 11:50-13:50
• Ahmet Ucer, ucerah[a-t]gmail com

Assistants

• Ayca Ozcelikkale, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, ayca[a-t]ee bilkent edu tr, tel: 1613, EA-226, Off.hours: Tu 15:40-16:30
• Gulis Zengin, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, gulis [a-t]ee bilkent edu tr, tel: 3505, UNAM-310, Off.hours: Mon 15:40-16:30
• Yeliz Kucukoglu, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, yeliz [a-t]ee bilkent edu tr, EA-231
• Hilal Zitouni, Department of Computer Engineering, zitouni [a-t]cs bilkent edu tr, tel:1288, EA402, Off.hours: Wed 9:40-10:30
• Huseyin Gokhan Akcay, Department of Computer Engineering, akcay [a-t]cs bilkent edu tr, tel:1946, EA522  
• Zeynep Uruk, Department of Industrial Enginering, uruk [a-t] bilkent edu tr tel:1438, Fri 14:40-15:30

Course Materials

• Required Textbooks:
  L. S. Hjorth, B. A. Eichler, A. S. Khan, and J. A. Morello. Technology and Society: A Bridge to the 21st Century, second edition. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 2003. (exists in reserve)
  T. Easton. Taking Sides: Clashing Views in Science, Technology, and Society, eighth edition. McGraw-Hill, 2008. (exists in reserve)
• Recommended Textbooks:
  W. M. Evan and M. Manion. Minding the Machines: Preventing Technological Disasters. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 2002. (exists in reserve) 
  R.E. McGinn. Science, Technology, and Society. Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1991. (exists in reserve)
  
• Required readings as given under assignments below.
• Optional readings (available in reserve section of library)
  The sources of most of these readings are available in the library. If you are unable to locate the source of any of these readings in the library, please contact ayca[a-t]ee bilkent edu tr

Assignments for each week

• Week 1 (23 Sept.): First meeting.  
  Take the test on http://www.politicalcompass.org/ and mark your result on the relevant chart on Political Profile Analysis (leave the remaining charts on this sheet blank).
  Take the quiz on http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html and mark you result on the printed version of the quiz.
  Also try to mark, on both charts, your understanding of the positions of at least 6 leading political parties in Turkey.
  Be sure to bring both sheets of paper to class with you.
  Read Introduction to Political Ideologies (you are not responsible for following the links, you are responsible only for the given text).
• Week 3 (7 Oct.):  From Hjorth: Part 1: Ethics and Technology: Objectives p.3, Introduction pp.3-4, Ethics pp.5-22, Doing Well by Doing Good pp.39-43, Whistle-Blowing pp.44-45, Case Study: Roger Boisjoly pp.46-47.
  Part 2: History of Technology: Objectives p.53, Introduction p.53, Conclusion p.69.
• Week 4 (14 Oct.): From Hjorth: Part 3: Energy: Objectives p.71, Introduction pp.71-77, Fossil Fuel Fundamentals pp.78-87, The Immortal Waste pp.90-100, Case Study: Nuclear Warriors pp.101-110, Solar Energy pp.120-123, Wind Power pp.124-125, Hydroelectric Power pp.130-132, Conclusion p.144.
• Week 5 (21 Oct.): From Easton:  Issue 10: Should potential risks slow the development of nanotechnology? pp.196-216, Issue 5: Is it time to revive nuclear power? pp.95-115, Issue 19: Is it ethically permissible to clone human beings? pp.359-381. Optional reading: Introduction: pp.xv-xxvii.
• Week 6 (28 Oct.): From Hjorth: Part 4: Ecology: Objectives p.155, Introduction pp.155-167, The Grim Payback of Greed pp.168-174, Young at Risk pp.175-182, Buried Displeasure: The Love Canal pp.191-192, Earth Day: 25 Years pp.208-214, Earth Day 2000: A 30-Year Report Card pp.226-227, 7 Moments that Helped Define ... p.228, And 7 Moments (Past and Future) that could ... pp.229-230.
  Watch the video film "The Denial Machine" produced by CBC (40 minutes). (Follow the "Watch Video" link on the right pane.) Also read the article "Heating System". (If you have difficulty watching the video online, let us know before 28 Oct. and if there is sufficient interest, we will arrange a  screening on campus.)
• Week 7 (4 Nov.): From Hjorth: Part 5: Population: Objectives p.235, Introduction pp.235-255, The Great Leap Forward pp.256-265, Can the Growing Human Population Feed Itself? pp.273-277, World Birth Control Discussion Issues pp.281-287, Earth's Carrying Capacity: Not Quite So Easy When Applied to Humans pp.316-318, Conclusion pp.319-320.
• Week 8 (11 Nov.): Midterm Examination
• Week 9 (18 Nov.): From Easton: Issue 14: Does the internet strengthen social connections? pp.TBA.
  Watch the video series "The Century of the Self" by Adam Curtis (four parts, one hour each, total of four hours), available as  "Part 1", "Part 2", "Part 3", and "Part 4". (If you have difficulty watching the video online, let us know before 18 Nov. and if there is sufficient interest, we will arrange a screening on campus.)
• Week 10 (25 Nov.): From Hjorth: Part 6: Health and Technology: Objectives p.325, Introduction p.325, Baby It's You! And You, and You... pp.326-332, Antibiotic Resistance pp.333-334, The Politics of Life and Death: Global Responses to HIV and AIDS pp.335-342, Physician-Assisted Suicide pp.343-345, Future Genetic Testing p.346, Conclusion pp.348-349.
• Week 11 (2 Dec.): From Hjorth: Part 7: Technology and the Third World: Objectives p.353, Introduction pp.353-354, One Planet: Many Worlds pp.355-383, China's Challenge to the United States and to the Earth pp.388-394, N30 WTO Showdown pp.395-403, Pakistan: Karachi's Informal "Recycling Network" pp.404-407, Appropriate Technologies pp.411-420, Conclusion p.442.
• Week 13 (16 Dec.): From Hjorth: Part 8: Technology of the Future: Objectives p.451, Introduction pp.451-453, Creating the Future pp.454-466, Trends Now Changing the World: Economics and Society, Values and Concerns, Energy and Environment pp.467-480, Telemedicine: The Health System of Tomorrow pp.486-488, New Horizons of Information Technology pp.498-501, Future Ecology: Is the Kyoto Climate Agreement Still Alive Due to the Bonn, 2001 Meeting? pp.507-510.
• Week 14 (23 Dec.): From Evan and Manion: Chapter 1: Technological Disasters: An Overview pp.3-28.
  Chapter 2: Natural and Human-Made Disasters pp.29-43 (up to "Broken Arrows").
• Week 15 (30 Dec.): From Evan and Manion: Chapter 10: The Responsibilities of Engineers and Scientists pp.317-345.
  Chapter 14: Technology Decisions and the Democratic Process pp.432-438, 444-467 (excluding "Participatory Technology").

Lectures or presentations

• Week 1 (23 Sept.):  "Haldun Ozaktas: Political Positions and Science and Technology Issues."
  -Included in the exam
• Week 2 (30 Sept.): No lecture
• Week 3 (7 Oct.):   "Ahmet Ucer: Technology, Globalization and Social Development. "  
  -Included in the exam                      
• Week 4 (14 Oct.):  "Haldun Ozaktas: History of Technology."
  -Included in the exam
• Week 5 (21 Oct.):  "Ahmet Ucer: Knowledge Society and Human Wellbeing."
  -Included in the exam
• Week 6 (28 Oct.): No lecture
• Week 7 (4 Nov.):    "Ahmet Ucer: Converging Technologies and Society."
  -Included in the exam                             
• Week 8 (11 Nov.):   
• Week 9 (18 Nov.):   
• Week 10 (25 Nov.):  
• Week 11 (2 Dec. ):  "Cemil Turun: Turkiye'de yuksek teknoloji arastirma-gelistirme maceralari."
  -Not included in the exam, attendance required
• Week 12 (9 Dec. ): No lecture  
• Week 13 (16 Dec.):  
• Week 14 (23 Dec.):
• Week 15 (30 Dec.): Video showing: The Story of Stuff.
  -Included in the exam
  
  

Links

• Documents from previous years
• Guide to ethical writing
• Media resources suggested by MoveOn
• Avaaz.org
• "We Didn't Start The Fire" by Billy Joel and the lyrics and the history behind it.

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