P382

The task for a philosophy of technology is to analyze the phenomenon of technology, its significance, and the ways that it mediates and transforms experience. Philosophy of technology is a critical, reflective examination of the nature of technology as well as the effects and transformation of technologies in human knowledge, activities, societies, and environments. The aim of philosophy of technology is to understand, evaluate, and criticize the ways in which technologies reflect as well as change human life individually, socially, and politically.

Our world is largely a constructed environment; our technologies and technological systems form the background, context, and medium for our lives. Technology conditions and permeates virtually every human experience. But because technology is everywhere we look, we are not always able to see it. We need to render our technological experiences more visible, to sharpen the conceptual tools with which we can explore the many meanings of technology, and to advance the development of a common technological vocabulary.

The assumption underlying the philosophy of technology is that the devices and substances we make and use transform our experience in ways that are philosophically relevant. That is, technology not only enlarges and extends our capacities and effects changes in the natural and social worlds but does so in ways that are interesting with respect to fundamental areas of philosophical inquiry.

The goal of this course is to help us critically examine the impact of technology on our lives and address several key questions about technology, thereby arriving at a more reflective understanding of the nature of technology. Key questions we will consider include:

Textbooks

Additional readings from the WWW, hyperlinked to the syllabus or available through Schmidt Library

Grading

Please Read: My Grading Philosophy

Essay Evaluation Form: Standards

Short Essays

Throughout the semester, three short essays requiring synthesis of our readings and discussions will be assigned. These essays are to be approximately 1000 words in length, typed, double-spaced, with standard fonts and margins. Topics and due dates will be announced in class. Late essays will be accepted up to one week past the due date, but they will be penalized five points for every day late. No exceptions will be made to this policy.

Course Essay

To further develop your interests in philosophy of technology and your critical philosophical skills in analyzing technology, I will ask each of you to address an assigned course issue to be decided. This essay should be approximately 3000 words in length. Further information on this aspect of the course will be discussed in class. We'll prepare our essays with the intention of submitting some of them to a call for papers from the Humanities and Technology Association.

Daily Micro Essays

You should immediately purchase a small package of 4x6 index cards (no smaller). With each new reading assignment, prior to that reading being discussed in class, I will ask you to write a brief, "micro" essay, usually analyzing some aspect of that day's reading assignment. Sometimes I will simply ask you to record your philosophical reactions to the reading. These micro essays serve a number of purposes: they motivate you to complete the reading and come to class, help to focus your reading, provide a study guide for your midterm and final, and stimulate class discussion. You should be prepared to share your micro essays with other members of the class during our class discussions. Your essays should be approximately150 words in length. Each day I will collect your card, review your essay to determine that you have adequately completed the assignment, record your having completed it, and return them to you the following class day. At the end of the semester I will award up to 100 points for these micro essays, deducting five points for each one you failed to turn in.

Class Participation

In her article "Feminist Epistemology" Naomi Scheman argues that it is misleading to think of epistemic agency as ideally exercised in solitude. Knowing and coming to know, Scheman contends, are social and interactive. "They are things we do, and things we are appropriately held responsible for doing, in social and cultural settings that variously help and hinder our doing them well." I wholeheartedly agree with Scheman that knowing is a practice that ideally occurs in a social setting. Each of us is responsible for participating in a variety of communities of knowers and it is a responsibility we ought to take seriously. Our class is one such community, a community in which we must actively participate in the social practice of knowing. To encourage your participation in this community of learners and to encourage you to come to class prepared to discuss that day’s issues, at the end of the semester, you will receive a grade based on your class participation throughout the semester. The grade you receive will be based on, among other things, your regular attendance, your improvement over the course of the semester, and, to the greatest extent, your willingness to contribute in a meaningful way to the daily class discussion. Other indices of an engaged student include:

Your willingness to engage the texts and issues associated with the course in the spirit of learning more about yourself and the world you live in.
Your ability to respect a diversity of opinion as demonstrated by conducting yourself in a civil manner and by refraining from interruptions and ridicule of others.
Your ability to listen and participate during class.
Your ability to offer relevant, on-topic commentary.
Your ability to arrive at class on time and prepared.
Your ability to focus on class during class time. Habitual entrances and exits during class sessions will result in a grade penalty, as will holding private discussions during class and disruptions arising from cell phones, watches, pagers, and the like.
Your ability to avoid complaining and asking questions whose answers have already been provided (e.g., “Can I make up the quiz?” and “What is the response for next time?”).
Your ability to let me know ahead of time if you have to miss an appointment or conference.

The following is meant only as a rough guide as to how your participation grade will be determined:

Please review the following links:

Activities outside of regular class hours

As part of the regular course requirements, you will be expected to occasionally participate in events outside of the regular class hours. You may be asked to watch videos on your own time and attend evening events. Additionally, as part of the English and Humanities Department's efforts to encourage student participation in college cultural activities, I will ask that you attend two events during the semester. Following your attendance at each event, within one week you must submit a brief reflection on what you observed, for which I will award you 10 points apiece. At least one of these events must be sponsored by the English and Humanities Department, and can include lectures, Players' productions, etc. More information concerning this will be provided in class.

My YCP and E-Mail Addresses

You are expected to have an active York College e-mail address and to check it regularly during the semester. I will send e-mail only to your ycp.edu address. If you wish to use other addresses, such as private internet service provided addresses, you should set up your YCP address so that it automatically forwards your mail to that address. We will also use some of the features of My YCP to engage in online discussion. If you are not familiar with MY YCP, you should familiarize yourself with the program.

Your Responsibilities

It is your responsibility to remain apprised of all assignments and any changes in the syllabus or grading policies. I reserve the right to make changes to class policies and the syllabus as I deem necessary. I expect that you will be in class daily, having prepared your work and ready to discuss the material.

You should obtain the names and contact information from several of your fellow classmates so that you have someone to contact if you must miss class. You should not depend on either e-mailing or phoning me to learn what you missed in class or find out your assignment for the following class.

I have prepared some material to help you in reading and writing philosophy. If you are having difficulty with your class readings or writing assignments, you might wish to review the following material.

How to Read Philosophy

Writing Philosophy Essays

If you are interested in exploring philosophy on the web further, you might begin with the links I have collected on the following web page:

3 Short Essays @ 100 points each (approximately 1000 words)	300 points
Course Essay (3000 words)	300 points
Micro Essays	100 points
Class Participation	200 points
Extra Curricular Activities	20 points
Total Available Points	920 points

180 - 200 points	Participates voluntarily and frequently. Is regularly engaged in the class discussions. Shows a good grasp of the material and good preparation.
160 - 179 points	Participates voluntarily with less frequency but still makes an important contribution to the class discussion.
140 - 159 points	Participates voluntarily but shows a lesser grasp of the material or little preparation.
120 - 139 points	Participates only when asked to do so.
119 points or less	Does not participate or is frequently absent.

PHL390 Philosophy of Technology

Spring Semester, 2012

Dr. Dennis M. Weiss

Office: HUM 154

Office Hours: MWF 12:00 - 12:50, Th 2:00 - 3:00, and by appointment

Office Phone: 815-1513

Email: dweiss@ycp.edu

Course Description

Textbooks

Grading

Please Read: My Grading Philosophy

Short Essays

Course Essay

Daily Micro Essays

Class Participation

Please review the following links:

Activities outside of regular class hours

My YCP and E-Mail Addresses

Your Responsibilities

Studying Philosophy at York College

Syllabus

Weeks One and Two: Introduction to Course

1/19 Technology and Culture

1/24 The iPod and the Culture of Music

1/26 Thinking About Technology

Week Three: Technology and Applied Matters

1/31 Is Google Making Us Stoopid?

2/2 The Internet's Impact on Culture and Society

Week Four: Classical Theories of Technology

2/7 Jacques Ellul

2/9 Hans Jonas

Week Five: Heidegger and Philosophy of Technology

2/14

2/16

Week Six: Radical Evolution

2/21

2/23

Week Seven: Winter Break

Weeks Eight and Nine: Albert Borgmann

3/6

3/8

3/13

3/15

Weeks Ten and Twelve: Arnold Pacey

3/20 Borgmann and the Posthuman

3/22 Arnold Pacey

3/27 Arnold Pacey

3/29 Arnold Pacey

4/3 Arnold Pacey

4/5 Spring Break

Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen: Women, Gender, and Technology

4/10 Wajcman

4/12 Wajcman

4/17 Wajcman

4/19 Wajcman

Weeks Fifteen and Sixteen: Andrew Feenberg and Critical Theories of Technology

4/24 Andrew Feenberg

4/26 Feenberg

5/1 Feenberg

5/3

Some topics and reading selections covered in previous iterations of this course

The Coming Singularity

Additional links for further information:

Community and Technology/Borgmann and the Posthuman

The Amish and Technology

Sex, Gender, and Technology: Robbie Davis-Floyd

Susan Squier

Langdon Winner