EGS 3720Spring 2015 -- Globalization and Technology

University of South Florida

Class Sessions for In-Class Students: T/R 3:30-4:45 pm in ENA 105
Online Students Watch Real-Time or Recorded Sessions
SYLLABUS2 (Subject to Change3)
Important Notice (Read this if you read nothing else in this syllabus!)
I have changed the method of grading for this semester. Class participation (or the online
task) will contribute 60 percent of your grade! The online Quizzes will be 25%, Discussions,
the Midterm Exam, and the Final Exam each 5%. I make this change to permit a better
evaluation of student preparation and learning. This is discussed further in the section on
Coursework Feedback and Grading.
The student is responsible for reading the syllabus carefully and remaining current with possible changes.
The following items are critically important where each one directly impacts final grade.

I expect you to complete Assignments when due and you are to follow directions explicitly.
Remote students may watch the class at some time after it is presented but no later than
Saturday following the presentation date. This is because many assignments are dependent on
work completed previously,
You are responsible for reading emails sent to your USF email address, at least twice a week,
preferably more often.
You are expected to remain current with regard to the postings on Canvas. I use it for all
communications. If you are uncertain about the use of Canvas, seek help. If you do not, again,
this will not be an excuse for incomplete work. Relevant materials will be available before each
class on Canvas. Please visit Canvas prior to the first class to download notes for the first class.
I expect you to understand English and be able to understand assignments. However, there may
be times when something is not clear; in that case, I encourage you to ask questions. Not
understanding will not be an excuse for incorrectly completing an assignment.

Special note: The College of Engineering, as part of its distance learning program, uses a classroom
capture system which we will be using in this course. The system allows us to audio and video record the
instructor and students, as well as content presented using the classrooms computer and/or document
camera. These recorded sessions will be made available to students enrolled in the course. Comments,
written or aural from real-time remote students are also captured. Because we will be recording in the
classroom, your questions or comments will be recorded. If this is of serious concern to you, you should
consider dropping the class during the first-week drop/add period.
All students can view the recorded sessions using Blackboard Collaborate.

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Table of Contents

1.

Course Parameters ............................................................................ 3

2.

Textbooks ......................................................................................... 3

3.

Syllabus Outline................................................................................ 3

4.

Course Description ........................................................................... 3

5.

Course Objectives ............................................................................. 3

6.

Expected Student Outcomes: ............................................................ 4

7.

Coursework Feedback and Grading (New for this semester and subject to change) 4

8.

Course Requirements ........................................................................ 4

a)

Class Participation

b) On-Line Quizzes

c)

Discussion Board

d) Midterm and final exams

9.

Policies:............................................................................................. 5
a)

Preparation/ Participation/Discussion Forums

a)

Attendance

b) Classroom Etiquette, Plagiarism, and Academic Integrity

c)

Religious Observances

d) Special Needs

e)

Emergency Procedures

f)

Feedback

g) Resources

h) Grievance Procedures

i)

Student Responsibilities

10. Course Website ................................................................................. 7

Access to online and Video Lectures

11. Course Outline and Schedule ............................................................ 9

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1. Course Parameters
Instructor:
Office:
Department:
Office Hours:

Paul Schnitzler, Ph. D.

ENC 2211
IMSE, ENC 2400
T/R 2 pm to 3 pm
Other hours by appointment

Email:
Office Phone:
Dept. Phone:
FAX Number:
Home Phone:

pauls@usf.edu
813-974-5584
813-974-2269
813-974-5953
813-994-1667

2. Textbooks
The course textbooks are:

Technology and Society by Hjorth, Eichler, Khan, and Morello, 3rd edition (2008) ISBN-13: 9780-13-119443-7.
Course Packet for Globalization and Technology available at Pro-Copy.

3. Syllabus Outline
Sections through 4 to 11 in this syllabus describe how the course will be conducted and provide
expectations from a student. These sections also provide references to the documents you will need.
Section 4, 5 and 6 give course description and objectives. Section 7 provides grading scale in general.
Section 8 Course Requirements. Sections 9 and 10 explain participation, and various other policy issues.
The course outline and schedule is provided in the last section (section 11) which is subject to change.

4. Course Description
Exploration of the fundamental processes underlying globalization with particular emphasis on the role of
technological development in both historical and contemporary context. This course is part of the
University of South Floridas Foundations of Knowledge and Learning Core Curriculum. It is certified
for Cultural Diversity and Global Context and for the following dimensions: Critical Thinking, Inquirybased Learning, Global Context, and Human Historical Context and Process. This course may be used to
meet University requirements for Social Sciences, Historical Perspectives, or ALAMEA and is part of the
Gen Ed requirements for all students in catalogues beginning with Fall 2009

5. Course Objectives
At the completion of the course students will

Students will be able to explain how the globalization process functions.

Students will be able to explain the relationship between new developments in
technology and new advances in the level of globalization.
Students will be able to analyze a particular (national or regional) society to determine its
level of globalization development and will be able to predict how anticipated actions or
events might affect the societys economic, political, cultural, ecological, or technological
status and evolution.
Students will be able to synthesize a personal theory expressing the relationship between
technology and globalization based on the dimensions of globalization.

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6. Expected Student Outcomes:

Students will demonstrate an understanding of the historical development of globalization and its
linkage with the development of technology through an independent explanation of the
globalization process connecting major technological developments with significant shifts in the
global community.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of contemporary globalization through an
independent analysis of existing cultural, economic, political, ecological, and technological
situations along with predicting changes that would occur with significant new developments in
technology.

7. Coursework Feedback and Grading (New for this semester and subject to
change)
Participation/Attendance (or eTask)
60%
On-Line Quizzes
25%
Participation in Discussion Board
5%
Midterm Exam
5%
Final Exam
5%
Your Exam Questions [previously used but not this semester]

FINAL COURSE GRADES:

90.0% or greater
A
80.0 - 89.9%
B
70.0 79.9%
C
60.0 69.9%
D
59.9% or less
F
Note: Minus and Plus grades may be assigned at the instructors discretion to better distinguish levels of
performance. However, grades assigned will meet or exceed these ranges. For example, a total score of
90.1% will receive an A, not an A-. A grade of 88.3% or 89.2% could receive an A- or a B+.
By College of Engineering Rule:
Only grades of C or better will be accepted in all Math, Science, and Engineering courses to
fulfill credit towards an Engineering Degree.

8. Course Requirements
A) CLASS PARTICIPATION
For in-class students: Attendance will be taken at each session. In addition, I will call on specific students
(in random order) to answer questions or make contributions related to the session topic. If you are called
on, you will receive between 0 and 2 points based on your response. If you are not called on and have
signed in, you will receive 2 points. I find that I can call on about half of the attending students during a
75 minute class session. Thus if you are called and can provide a relevant response, you will earn 2 points
toward your final grade. This process provides a strong incentive to be prepared for each class.
For online students: During or at the end of each class session I will announce the online task. It will
require a short essay of about one paragraph which will comment on some idea from the class session.
You are to combine your responses for the two sessions each week and submit a single document in Word
or RTF formats. The student will receive between 0 and 4 points for each essay (a weeks work). Note
that I will read only some of the essays (I do not have the time to read them all). If you have submitted an
essay and I do not get to read it, you will receive the full 4 points. These Participation essays will be
submitted through Canvas/ EGS3720 Assignments/Part Wk nn (where nn is the week number e. g. Part

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Wk 03 for week 3). Participation Assignments will be due Sunday night following the related week; for
example, following Thursdays class there will be three days before the assignment is due.
Participation grades for in-class and online students will be posted on Canvas/ EGS3720
Assignments/Part Wk nn (where nn is the week number e. g. Part Wk 03A for the first session in week 3).
Note that the total value of your Participation will be add to 60% of your grade.

B) ON-LINE QUIZZES
You will participate in on-line quizzes covering the material contained in the course. These quizzes will
be multiple-choice and True/False questions pertaining to the readings and lectures. Generally, there will
be one quiz each week. Quizzes will be posted on Fridays and will remain available for 9 days, until
Sunday a week later. The quizzes constitute 25% of your course grade. Note that you are expected to do
the assigned readings. The quizzes are to be done without the assistance of others, but are open-book and
open-notes. All quizzes must be completed by 11:59 pm on the second Sunday after they are posted
unless otherwise directed.

C) DISCUSSION BOARD
Discussion Forums will be opened on the course Canvas site. You should visit the discussion board
frequently (at least weekly) to read comments from others and to add your own thoughts. You will be
graded on the number and quality of your comments. This element of the course will allow you to
interact with other students and will allow discussion of current relevant events. Participation in the
discussion board constitutes 5% of your course grade. The discussion board closes at 11:59 pm on the
Friday of the last week of classes.

D) MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS

These will be multiple-choice online exams similar to the quizzes. Each will be worth 5% of your grade.
Details will be provided later. The questions will be similar to those on the quizzes..

9. Policies:
A) PREPARATION/ PARTICIPATION/DISCUSSION FORUMS
Preparation for class should take around 4-5 hours per week. Study groups are strongly encouraged; use
your Learning Groups. Do not come to class unprepared. Important: No marks are subtracted if you say
something wrong unless it is because you are not prepared. (See the next paragraph.) Your
comments/questions help other students clarify their misconceptions. However, if you dont say anything
at all, it doesnt help you. If you have something to say, no matter how silly; raise your hand; no
question is foolish. Class participation is crucial because it helps you build self-confidence. If you want to
be an entrepreneur or manager, you must be able to articulate your ideas convincingly to employees,
supervisors, customers, investors, and others.
Although I encourage speaking/participating in class even when you are uncertain, dont confuse this with
not being prepared. If your comments show that you have not read the assignment, you will lose points.
I will create Discussion Topics on the Canvas for many class sessions. You are expected to demonstrate
that you have read the material and participated in the discussion.

A) ATTENDANCE
Those registered as in-class students are required to attend class sessions. You will be responsible for
classroom content which will augment other materials.

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B) CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE, PLAGIARISM, AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

The highest standards for respectful, ethical, and honorable behavior are expected of everyone in the
classroom. Please be courteous with respect to your fellow classmates and your instructor. Cellular
phones and pagers should be set to vibrate so as not to disturb other members of the class. Further,
cheating will be severely punished including the possibility of failure of the course.
The university and college policies on academic dishonesty will be strictly applied in this course.
According to USF Academic Policy, cheating is defined as follows: (a) the unauthorized granting or
receiving of aid during the prescribed period of a course-graded exercise: students may not consult
written materials such as notes or books, may not look at the paper of another student, nor consult orally
with any other student taking the same test (except as otherwise directed); (b) asking another person to
take an examination in his/her place; (c) taking an examination for or in place of another student; (d)
stealing visual concepts, such as drawings, sketches, diagrams, musical programs and scores, graphs,
maps, etc., and presenting them as ones own; (e) stealing, borrowing, buying, or disseminating tests,
answer keys or other examination material except as officially authorized, research papers, creative
papers, speeches, other graded assignments, etc. Any evidence of plagiarism will result in the severest of
penalties. Incremental plagiarism is when you advance an idea as your own when someone else said it
first. Patchwork plagiarism is when you consult a variety of sources and string together paragraphs and
sentences as if they were your own. Global plagiarism is when you purchase or obtain a paper that was
composed by someone else and turn it is as if it were yours. All are serious. All are punishable. If in doubt,
ask me!
If you are unfamiliar with these policies, please see the university and college catalogues.
Tools are now available to test documents for plagiarism. Be warned.
For more information go to the web site http://www.ugs.usf.edu/catalogs/0203/adadap.htm

C) RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES
No student shall be compelled to attend class or sit for an examination at a day or time prohibited by his
or her religious beliefs. In accordance with the University policy on observance of religious holy days,
students are expected to notify the instructor if they intend to be absent for a class or announced
examination prior to the scheduled meeting.

D) SPECIAL NEEDS
The University recognizes and values students with disabilities. The faculty and administration strive to
insure that students with disabilities participate in all aspects of university life. Academic
accommodations are arranged through the Office of Student Disability Services.
The Office of Student Disability Services, located in SVC 1133, (974-4309), is responsible for
determining eligibility of students for disability status and facilitating services and accommodations for
those who qualify. Accommodations that are developed in collaboration with students and faculty,
include, but are not limited to, extended time on examinations, alternate formats for printed materials, and
the services of sign language interpreters. For more information go to the web site
http://www.sa.usf.edu/sds

E) EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
In the event of an emergency, it may be necessary for USF to suspend normal operations. During this time,
USF may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to:
Canvas, Blackboard Collaborate, Skype, and email messaging and/or an alternate schedule. Its the
responsibility of the student to monitor the Canvas site for each class for course specific communications,
and the main USF, College, and department websites, emails, and MoBull messages for important general
information.
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F) FEEDBACK
Direct feedback is a most critical learning in management. This includes giving feedback to me, both
positive and constructive. Please feel free approaching me or emailing me with your suggestions,
questions, and criticisms. If something is not working, most often other people also have similar issues. If
you give me feedback, I will have an opportunity to respond and improve the course.

G) RESOURCES
USF Library http://www.lib.usf.edu
Engineering Computing Open-Access Labs http://www2.eng.usf.edu/Ecomp/OpenAccessLabs.asp
Academic Computing Technologies http://www.acomp.usf.edu
USF Open-Use Computer Labs http://www.acomp.usf.edu/computing.html
Technology Training Training Center LIB 618A http://www.acomp.usf.edu/training.html
Student Government Computing Services CTR 038 http://www.sgcs.usf.edu
Writing Center - English Department CPR 257
http://www.usd.edu/trio/tut/present.html
http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/skills/oral.htm
http://www.pnl.gov/ag/usage/deadwood.html

H) GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
Advocacy for issues that are not able to be resolved within the framework of the established policies for
this course will be handled using the procedures found in the published University of South Florida
catalog for the relevant academic year. For further information go to the web site:
http://www.ugs.usf.edu/pdf/cat0506/acapol.pdf.

I) STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Students are responsible for all information conveyed during class and on Canvas (myUSF Portal).
Students who anticipate the necessity of being absent from class due to the observation of a major
religious observance must provide notice of the date(s) to the instructor, in writing, by the second class
meeting.
Official electronic communications means your USF assigned e-mail address and the course web site in
the USF portal (https://my.usf.edu). It is students responsibility to make sure they are receiving their
official USF email. Please see http://una.acomp.usf.edu for more details.

10. Course Website

The course has a web site in the USF Portal. You can access the course web site at https://my.usf.edu.
You will need a USF NetID and password in order to have access. If you do not already have a USF
NetID, you can obtain one by going to https://una.acomp.usf.edu, clicking on Activate your NetID, and
filling out a few simple forms.
Procedure to log onto the website:
Go to https://my.usf.edu
Log into myUSF using your USF NetID and password.
Hover over Learning & Teaching Tools andClick on Canvas. Then hover on Courses and Groups
and click on the course title.
Look for course information by first reading the Home page for the course. There is a wealth of
imformation available there. Then go to the left column and click on the links: Modules,
Announcements, Assignments, Discussions, Blackboard Collaborate, Grades, and Syllabus.
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You Home page and the Modules page will provide most of what you will need.
Check this website frequently for Announcements and other information.

ACCESS TO ONLINE AND VIDEO LECTURES

Some lectures for this course were previously recorded and will usually be available on Modules when
relevant. It is your responsibility to view each lecture promptly so that you are keeping pace with the
class.
As stated, lectures will be recorded for future viewing although there have been technology problems in
the past. This does not imply that students are not required to keep up and meet deadlines for
papers, exams, and homework assignments.

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11. Course Outline and Schedule

(Subject to Change.)
In addition to the reading assignment below, see the PowerPoint slides for each session which are posted
on Canvas under Modules.
Week

Date

1/6

1/13

1/20

Topic
Introduction to the Course and Administrative
Details; Defining Globalization

Assignment
T&S, 2-24
Discussion: Getting Acquainted
Discussion: Globalization?
Watch video first session of week
Discussion: Globalization Vs
Globalism

1/27

Global Perspective Speaker: Ideology and

TechnologyManfred B. Steger
Global Issues and History; Relation-ship of
Technology and Globalization
Ethics and Technology ; Case Study: Nuclear
Warriors

T&S, 42-69, 84, 88-99

2/3

Global Energy Issues ; Alternative Energies

T&S, 102-192

2/10

Global Environmental Issues

2/17

Discussion of Case Study: Chernobyl

T&S, , 216-309
Watch An Inconvenient Truth; in
advance; read
T&S, 193-7

2/24

Global Population Issues

T&S, 332-381, 390-403, 408-412

3/3

Happy Spring Break

T&S, 31-38

3/10

10

3/17

11

3/24

Case Study: Europes Black Triangle Turns Green

; Health and Technology
Global Economic Issues;
3/21 Last Day to Drop and Receive a "W"
Grade:
History of Transportation Technology;
Guest Speaker: Transportation Technology
History of Communications Technology

12

3/31

Discussion of Hotel Rwanda ; Global Cultural

Issues

13

4/7

Global Cultural Comparisons;

Turkey example

T&S, 579-584;
Strada, Ch. 11, 299-329
Watch video Guest Speaker: Turkey
A Country at CrossroadsDr. Omur
Tasar, IMSE, USF (recorded) first
session of week;

14

4/14

Future Developments in Technology

T&S, 606-642, 658-660

15

4/21

Exam
Week

4/25

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Future Developments in Technology; Case Study:

The Development and Progress of the Ambitious
UN 2000 Millennium Project
Discussion Board and Last On-Line Quiz Close
at 11:59 pm. Completion of All Work. 2 days
later

Paul Schnitzler, Ph.D. (E.E.)

T&S, 314-319, 452-473

http://www.globalissues.org/issue/1/tra
de-economy-related-issues
HistoricalGeographyofTransportation:
http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/en
g/ch2en/conc2en/ch2c1en.html

T&S, 668-678

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This syllabus was formulated by Dr. P. McCright together with Dr. P. Schnitzler.

Highlighted items are either new or changed material, or material that is subject to change.

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