Humanity and Technology: Considerations for a Course of Study as taken from Students' Reports

Abstract

"Humanity and Technology" is a required course for third year students in the Social Studies curriculum of the kisarazu National College of Technology. This course is paired with the "Society and Technology" course also offered during the third year. One of the intentions of this course is to expose students to different aspects of technology which have ethical implications for society. It is also hoped that through such exposure to technological advances, most notably seen in the medical sciences, that students will have an opportunity to consider these issues and their own personal viewpoints concerning them. During the past two years, students enrolled in this course were required to submit reports (approximately 6 per year) regarding the various topics discussed. Topics for these reports included surrogate motherhood, in-vitro testing for birth defects and genetic problems, and in-vitro fertilization, to name a few. These reports not only gave the students an avenue for expressing their own opinions regarding these somewhat controversial yet ethical topics, but also provided an opportunity for them to practice essay writing. Evaluation of the students' writing also was conducted and used in final grade assessment.