Course Information
Honors College Catalog Description
We all seek the Good Life, a life wherein our material needs are met and certain higher goods are realized, and, for many of us, technology has become a chief, if not the pre-eminent, means to it. But technology can also be an impediment to the Good Life and the roots of this ambivalent nature of technology may lie in our own fallibilities, mental and moral. In this Colloquium, we will discuss the Good Life, why technology can be both means and impediment to it, and how to make technology more of the former and less of the latter.
2 credits (2 hours of discussion per week)
Meeting Times and Location
Th 2:00 - 3:50 PM in LINC 360
Instructor: Dr. Ken Funk
E-mail: funkk@engr.orst.edu Office Hours: Tuesdays
11:30-11:55 AM in Rogers Hall 440
Thursdays 11:30-11:50 AM in Rogers Hall 440
12:00-1:00 PM in Covell Hall 208
or write for an appointment.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this course, you should be able to:
- describe several ideas of the Good Life;
- clearly articulate your own idea of the Good Life;
- explain, with examples, how technology can be a means to the Good Life;
- explain, with examples, how technology can be an impediment to the Good Life;
- explain, with examples, why technology is both means and impediment to the Good Life; and
- offer reasoned recommendations on how to make technology more means and less impediment to the Good Life.
Coursework
Readings and Discussion
We will read selections from a variety of sources, ancient and modern, and class meetings will be devoted almost exclusively to discussion of those readings. The instructor will provide discussion questions for each reading and you should read the material and prepare written answers to the questions before coming to class.See Readings and Questions.
Examinations
There will be no examinations. The meeting scheduled for the final examination will be used for essay presentation and discussion. See below.
Essay
You will write an essay on Technology and the Good Life, past, present, or future. In it, you will present your idea of the Good Life and some justification for your idea. You will explain what you mean by technology, whether it be technology in a broad sense (which you must define), a particular technology (like metallurgy or Artificial Intelligence), or a particular technological object (like the Titanic or the North American power grid). You will examine that technology in a particular context (like the Near East in the Bronze Age or 21st century US), considering how its use or its misuse did or does or likely will facilitate or impede the Good Life in that context. From your examination you will draw one or more lessons or recommendations to help us make technology more means and less impediment to the Good Life in the future.
A proposal for your essay is due by class time in Week 5 -- earlier submissions are encouraged -- and must be approved by the instructor before you complete the essay. Your proposal must give a working title, a topic (unless the title makes that clear), and a prospectus of the essay. Your proposal should be between one-half and one page long, double-spaced.
The essay itself should be eight to 12 pages long, double-spaced, citing at least 10 authoritative sources and providing a complete list of works cited in Chicago style. It is due at the time scheduled for the final exam, where you will give a brief presentation on it and answer questions from the class and instructor.
Grading
This is a pass/non-pass (P/N) course. To pass this course, you must
- read the assigned readings,
- attend class meetings,
- submit written answers to the questions provided by the instructor,
- participate substantively in each class discussion,
- have an essay proposal approved by the instructor, and
- submit an essay meeting the above requirements.
One unexcused absence is permissible. Additional absences will be excused only if they are due to factors beyond your control and you take timely action to inform the instructor of the reason for them; supporting evidence may be required.
Disabilities Information
Accommodations for students with disabilities are determined and approved by Disability Access Services (DAS). If you, as a student, believe you are eligible for accommodations but have not obtained approval please contact DAS immediately at 541-737-4098 or at http://ds.oregonstate.edu. DAS notifies students and faculty members of approved academic accommodations and coordinates implementation of those accommodations. While not required, students and faculty members are encouraged to discuss details of the implementation of individual accommodations. [Updated 28 April 2016.]
Academic Honesty
It is the expectation of the instructor that any work you submit for this course is the product of your own abilities and efforts with respect to that work. You are free to discuss the readings, discussion questions, and your essay with anyone, including other members of the class, and to consult any other legitimate sources, but the answers and the work you turn in must represent your own thoughts and be in your own words, except in those parts of the work where you credit the original sources by proper citation. You are also subject to OSU's CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT, especially section 4.2, which defines and prohibits specific classes of academic misconduct. Any evidence that any of these expectations have not been met will prompt an inquiry, and if the findings support the conclusion that they have not, an academic misconduct report will be filed.
Schedule
Subject to change.
Meeting |
Topic |
Readings and Questions |
| Week 1: Thu 9 Jan |
Introduction: A Lesson From the Titanic | Readings and Questions |
| Week 2: Thu 16 Jan |
Ideas of the Good Life, Part 1 | Readings and Questions |
| Week 3: Thu 23 Jan |
Ideas of the Good Life, Part 2 | Readings and Questions |
| Week 4: Thu 30 Jan |
The History of Technology and the Good Life | Readings and Questions |
| Week 5: Thu 6 Feb |
The Promise of Technology | Readings and Questions Essay proposals due |
| Week 6: Thu 13 Feb |
The Peril of Technology | Readings and Questions |
| Week 7: Thu 20 |
The Roots of Technological Ambivalence: Human Mental Fallibility |
Readings and Questions |
| Week 8: Thu 27 Feb |
The Roots of Technological Ambivalence: Human Moral Fallibility |
Readings and Questions |
| Week 9: Thu 5 Mar |
Wisdom, Part 1 | Readings and Questions |
| Week 10: Thu 12 Mar |
Wisdom, Part 2 | Readings and Questions |
| Finals Week: Tue 17 Mar |
Essay presentations and discussions at 6:00 PM in locationTBA | Essays due (no readings or questions) |
Resources
This section provides links to course resources, as they become available.
Last update: 6 January 2020