HSS 202-Society, Technology & Environment
SOCIETY, TECHNOLOGY, & ENVIRONMENT
HSS 202, “Society,
Technology, and Environment” is an introduction to Environmental issues from
the perspective of the Social Sciences.
Problem-solving, decision-making and critical thinking will be stressed
throughout the semester to assist the student in understanding the variety of
topics that are discussed. In
addition, the interplay between and among the aspects of society, technology,
and the environment will be highlighted.
The main goals of the course are to expose students to current
environmental issues along with the various disciplines of Social Science, as
well as improve their ability to problem-solve, research, write, and public
speak. In addition, students will
be given the opportunity to work in groups and make professional oral
presentations.
The course
utilizes readings from the following texts: Sociology for a New Century by Michael
Mayerfeld Bell (ISBN: 0761985093)
and Sources: Notable
Selections in Environmental Studies Edited by Theodore D. Goldfarb (ISBN: 0073031860). Other readings are available on reserve
in the library under Dr. Lipuma’s name for the HSS 202 course. These readings are intended to assist the students with
research. The only prerequisite
for this course is the Introductory English class HSS 101 or its
equivalent. Otherwise, the
instructor assumes no prior knowledge of course material by students.
ASSIGNMENTS
Throughout the semester, there will be
homework, papers, and oral reports that each student must complete in order to
receive a grade in the class.
These assignments include a series of papers and assignments intended to
give the student practice in writing and public speaking in order to prepare
them for the final project in the class.
Other smaller in-class and homework assignments will be used to help
explore and illustrate the topics being discussed. Beyond the standard writing assignments, WebCT and other
on-line tools will be utilized in the course to assist the student learning
process.
WRITTEN WORK
All
written work submitted for this class must be college-level work. A
college-level paper is typewritten, double spaced and otherwise properly
formatted according to the standards of writing issued by the American
Psychological Association (APA).
There should be no contractions, spelling errors, punctuation errors, or
mistakes in grammar. Please be
consistent within the paper with abbreviations and other acronyms. Use a clear easy-to-read font that is
not too large or small. Your
margins should be uniform and should minimize large areas of white space within
the paper.
In addition, all the research papers for the
class must contain references to any research paraphrased or quoted in the
paper. Citations for the research
used needs to be included with the paper and should follow the APA format for
citations. This means
parenthetical citations within the text with a references page at the end of
the document. Only works that are
actually quoted from or paraphrased should be cited but all work cited must be
included in the reference page at the end of the work. This is not a bibliography but rather a
“Reference” page. Please remember,
simply lifting text from a dictionary or encyclopedia is something found mainly
in high school papers. Though it
may be necessary to quote from these types of sources, rarely are they the only
works used for references. Each
professor will refer to the The Scott, Foresman Handbook for Writers by Maxine
Hairston (ISBN: 0201667460) currently used in the NJIT English composition
courses as the authority and standard for the proper form of any
citations. If citations are
missing and work has been directly taken or inappropriately paraphrased,
students may be referred to the Dean of Students for plagiarism. What constitutes a charge of plagiarism
is specified in the student handbook with regard to the honor code and the
professional conduct code.
BEST PAPER
By the end of the semester, each student is required to submit a new copy
of his or her “best paper” for this class. This paper should represent the best work in the mind of the
student. These papers are reviewed
by the administration to assess the course and in no way will change the grades
received on the paper. Only formal research papers should be considered for the
‘best paper’ and a new unmarked copy of the chosen ‘best paper’ should be
submitted. Either a hard, paper
copy or soft, electronic copy on disk or via email is acceptable. Email copies should contain the class
with section number in the subject line of the email and should be sent to the
course coordinator at lipuma@njit.edu
PORTFOLIOS
Students
are required to submit a portfolio of their work in the class at the end of the
semester. All the work for the
class should be kept in a binder.
This includes tests, quizzes, papers, and other work completed in the
class. A Table of Contents and a
copy of the syllabus and assignments for the class should also be included at the beginning of the
portfolio. A special portfolio
cover (available
in the bookstore) should be completed and used as the outside cover when
the portfolio is turned in at the
end of the semester. All work submitted should be arranged from most recent
to least recent within the portfolio.
The portfolios will be collected at the end of the semester and reviewed
by the department administration to assess the continuity between and among
different sections of the course as well as different courses. Students wishing to have their portfolios
returned should contact the department at the end of the semester to make
arrangements for pick-up of the work once the review has been completed by the
department.
ATTENDANCE & LATENESS
Attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester. A greater emphasis is placed on participation rather than simple attendance; however, you cannot participate if you are not there. Absences and late work are excused only by arrangements with the instructor. All work receives a 10% per day penalty if it is late. Course grades may be withheld if all assignments are not submitted in some form.
GRADING
Participation = 10% Group
Oral = 5% Papers =
25%
Midterm =
25% Final Oral =
15%
Final Paper = 20%
CONTACT INFORMATION
Dr. James
Lipuma--Course Coordinator
Phone: 973-642-4743
Fax: 973-642-4689
STRATOSPHERIC OZONE LAYER
DEPLETION CASE STUDY