Science and Society 7: Terrorism and War
Spring 2010 (4 credits)
Meeting Time and Location: TR 1210-1330 SocSci 1100
Instructors
Dr. James R. Carey, jrcarey@ucdavis.edu, 67 Briggs Hall, Office Hours: W 11-12 am
Matt Zimmerman, mrzimmerman@ucdavis.edu, 3138 Wickson Hall, Office Hours: M 1-2 pm
Teaching Assistants and Section Info
Daniel Fink, dafink@ucdavis.edu, Office Hours: Wednesday 11-12, 158 Hunt
Section 6: Wednesday 6:10-7:00, 110 Hunt
Section 7: Thursday 6:10-7:00, 1128 Bainer
Section 12: Wednesday 5:10-6:00, 110 Hunt
Farshid Haque, fhaque@ucdavis.edu, Office Hours: Monday 3-4 pm, 158 Hunt
Section 1: Tuesday 6:10-7:00, 163 Olson
Section 10: Wednesday 5:10-6:00, 1116 Hart
Section 4: Wednesday 6:10-7:00, 1116 Hart
John Knettle, jknettle@ucdavis.edu, Office Hours: Tuesday, 4-5 pm, 150 Hutchinson
Section 3: Tuesday 6:10-7:00, 80 SocSci
Section 5: Wednesday 6:10-7:00, 1060 Bainer
Section 9: Thursday 6:10-7:00, 117 Olson
Fernando Villalba, fvillalba@ucdavis.edu, Office Hours: Tuesday 2-3 pm, 150 Hutchinson
Section 2: Tuesday 6:10-7:00, 116 Veihmeyer
Section 11: Wednesday 5:10-6:00, 1006 Geidt
Section 8: Thursday 6:10-7:00, 127 Wellman
Course Overview
With the United States involved in two major conflicts, and other countries involved in or influenced
by conflict, issues of terrorism and war are heavily debated on the world stage. This course is designed
as an entry point into that debate. It will encourage you to think deeply about terrorism and war and,
hopefully, question your assumptions. In assignments and in discussion sections, you will be asked to
understand and evaluate multiple perspectives on current issues. You will be encouraged to link ideas
from the readings and lectures to contemporary debates. Our goal is that, by the end of the course, each
student will be a more informed citizen of the world and be able to critically examine the policies and
positions of their nation's leaders and contribute to national and international debate. Please see the
SmartSite schedule for exam dates and term paper deadlines.
Lecture
The lecture period will consist of student interaction and traditional lecture. Lectures will be designed
to give background on the readings and introduce topics you will discuss in section. “Clickers” will be
mandatory and used extensively in lecture to guide the discussion and assess your understanding of key
issues in quizzes. Lecture quiz grades will be a combination of both attendance and correct quiz
answers. We will use the “InterWrite PRS” clicker system that is the UC Davis campus standard.
InterWrite clickers are available at the Davis bookstore and will be mandatory starting in the second
lecture.
You may not use a laptop during multimedia presentations as the glare may distract other students.
Readings
We will assign weekly readings to supplement lecture and section material. Essay assignments,
examination topics, and quizzes in lecture will require thorough knowledge of the readings and the
readings will inform discussion section topics. Electronic versions of the readings will be posted on
SmartSite and should be read before that week’s section. Periodically, there will be clicker quizzes in
lecture on the week’s assigned readings that will be counted towards your final grade.
Assignments and grading
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Term Paper: 20%
Weekly Assignments: 10%
Lecture Quizzes: 10%
Participation: 20%
Weekly Essays
For each week's section you are required to prepare a 25-word essay. The essay topic will be released
on SmartSite the Friday before your scheduled section. A 25-word essay may seem like a fairly easy
assignment. However, many students struggle to compress their thoughts into 25 concise, readable
words. There are three purposes to this assignment (1) to get you thinking more deeply about that
week's discussion topic, (2) to assess that you have read the week's reading assignment and are able to
apply knowledge, (3) to practice concise writing. In our experience, undergraduate writing is rarely
concise. Longer essays often contain a lot of filler and fluff. These shorter essay assignments are
designed so that you think hard about your writing and make each word count. This should prepare
you for your exams and term paper.
Each essay will be graded on a scale from 0 to +. Grades will be assessed as follows:
+: Essay is easily understood, devoid of fluff, demonstrates knowledge, & answers the assigned topic
Check: Essay does not meet the objectives for a grade of “+”
-: Essay does not meet most of the objectives for a grade of “+”
0: Essay not turned in, incomprehensible, over 25-words, or not on the assigned topic.
Essays must be typed and handed to your TA in section each week. Late or hand-written essays will
not be accepted. Each paper must also include a typed word count on the page. Essays over 25 words
will receive a grade of zero. Sample essays are posted on SmartSite if you are unclear of the format.
Exams
The midterm and final will consist of four short essay questions based on lectures, discussion topics,
and readings. Each essay question should be answered in no more than 150 words. Answers to exam
questions will be submitted on SmartSite. Examinations will be graded for both writing style and
content. You will have one week to complete these examinations from the day assigned. You may not
work with other students on these assignments. Late exams will be docked 20% for the first 24-hours
after they are due and 40% during the next 24-hours. Late exams will not be accepted after that date
Participation
Participation will be based both on active participation and engagement in discussion section. At the
beginning of the discussion period, TAs will take attendance. If you are present you will receive a
point for the day. If you are late (defined as missing the role call at the beginning of section) you will
receive half-a-point at the TA’s discretion. If you are late, it is your responsibility to verify that your
TA has recorded your half-point. If you know you must miss section one week, tell your TA in
advance. You may be able to make up your discussion in another section or in office hours on a caseby-case basis (most often with verification of the excuse). Section attendance is considered the
minimum level of participation; your participation grade will also include your TA’s assessment of your
engagement with the material and contributions to discussion.
Use of cell phones for calls or texting in section will have severe consequences on your participation
grade.
Term Paper
The capstone assignment for the course is a five-page (1200 – word) term paper on a topic of your
choosing related the course material. This paper will be your opportunity to explore a topic of interest
to you. You will be choosing a paper topic, with the help of your TA, early in the quarter. Specific
guidelines for the term paper are posted on SmartSite. Term papers will be docked 20% for the first
24-hours after they are due and 40% during the next 24-hours. Late term papers will not be accepted
after that date.
Cheating and Plagiarism
This course has a zero-tolerance policy for plagiarism and cheating. Your words and ideas should be
your own or properly cited. Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will be referred to Student
Judicial Affairs. You must read and review the four “Publications for Students” on the UC Davis SJA
website (http://sja.ucdavis.edu/publications.html) and acknowledge that your understanding of them on
the SAS 7 SmartSite page.
Use of more-than-one clicker per student in lecture will be considered cheating and violators will be
sent to Student Judicial Affairs.