ENGR 230 Technology and Society - A Regional Perspective
Spring 2009
Tuesday, Thursday 1:15-2:30, Guion Room 127C

"Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." Ralph Waldo Emereson

"...The world is already at your door, and it has a few things to say about that mousetrap." Robert Pool

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein

Course Description
We will investigate the relationship between society and technological innovation. Discussions will include how the fields of economics, government, history, sociology, and psychology affect engineering and technology. An emphasis will be placed on practical examples. This course includes a design project through which the effects of society on engineering decisions are discussed. In designing solutions to problems for disabled workers or for an economically disadvantaged group in the United States, students are encouraged to view the problems holistically, considering the various perspectives of the disciplines involved.
Fulfills General Education requirements for V5 (emphasis will be on ethics) and V7.

Course Objectives:
The accrediting agency for engineering, ABET, has eleven (indicated by a-k) student outcomes that engineering programs must demonstrate. The ABET outcomes most relevant for this course are:

(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constrainsts such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
(d) an abilitity to function on multidisciplinary teams
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
(i) a recognition of the need for, and ability to engage in lifelong learning
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues

Communication
We will use the web for communicating, so please consult the web page (http://hyochum.physics.sbc.edu) for class announcements, reading assignments, discussion topics, and links to interesting information.  You are responsible for checking the course web page for information as not all announcements will be made in class.

Feel free to call our offices whenever you need to. One of the benefits of going to a small college like Sweet Briar is the opportunity to get personalized attention from your professors, take advantage of this in all your courses.

Primary Text:
Beyond Engineering - How Society Shapes Technology, Robert Pool, Oxford University Press

Preparation:
We expect you to have studied the relevant material for each day as defined by the assignments web page.

Attendance/Class participation:
Attendance, timeliness, and active participation are critical to the learning process and an integral part of this course.  Coming to class late is distracting to students in the class and irritates professors. A significant portion of your grade is based on our class discussions, presentations, and your reading journal, much of which is related to readings. Lack of adequate participation will result in low grades. Failure to attend class on the day an assignment is assigned or due does not mean that you may turn in a late assignment without penalty. There are certain aspects of the course for which the information can be obtained only in class, thus, a student who misses class will miss material they will need on quizzes and tests. Not only are you required to come to class, but you must TAKE PART IN CLASS.  

Grades:

Design Project
This course will have a significant design project. We will be working with LSI, a company in Lynchburg which hires disabled workers. We will be coming up with engineering solutions for some of their manufacutruing needs. We will also be participating in a national design competition. We'll talk more about this as the term progresses. The breakdown for grades for the design project (which itself counts for 40% of grade) are as follows

Class discussions/participation :
Class discussions will be a valuable part of this course and active student participation is a course requirement. As many of these discussions will be based on readings, thorough reading of the assignment is a necessary part of getting the most out of this course. As part of our readings, students will keep a reading journal where they will reflect on ideas presented. Reading assignments will be posted online.

Brief presentations
As class discussions progress, each student will be required to make a short presentation to the class on some topic related to our readings. These may be based on primary materials listed in the appendix of Beyond Engineering or from some other source approved by the instructors. Students will be encouraged to explore a topic they find of interest.

Tests/final work product:
There will be a class mid-term based on class discussions, readings, and student presentations. The design project final work product will take the place of a final exam.

Tentative Course Schedule:
The dynamic web based schedule is where we will post topic information, all assignments, project deadlines, etc.

Grading Scale

last updated 1/21/2009
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