Regions of Europe (HTS 3813)
School of History, Technology, and Society
Georgia Tech Lorraine
Spring 2013
Instructor
Dr. Timothy Stoneman
GTL Office 226
03 87 20 39 57 (o)
06 38 95 24 02 (c)
tim.stoneman@hts.gatech.edu
Course Description
Europe is comprised of numerous regions. Georgia Tech’s European campus is located in Lorraine. The
only French region to border three countries, Lorraine is a cornerstone of the Greater Region (Grande
Region), a larger megaregion comprised of Lorraine, Luxembourg, the Saarland, Wallonia, and
Rhineland-Palatinate (southwest Belgium and Germany). Located at the crossroads of Europe’s major
east-west and north-south communication axes, on the major transportation artery of the Moselle river
and the Paris-Frankfurt high-speed rail-line (TGV), Lorraine provides a gateway to Europe – one of the
world’s largest markets with 500 million consumers and one-fourth of the world’s wealth. As a result of
its rich mineral resources, Lorraine played a central role in European industrialization, figuring
prominently during the twentieth century in two world wars and the formation of the European Union.
Since the 1980s, the region has undergone a process of de-industrialization and redevelopment as a postindustrial area, highly integrated into the global economy.
This course introduces international students to the dynamics of European regions in a global context
through first-hand examination of the Lorraine and Grande Regions. Combining on-site visits, electronic
fora (wiki), films, lectures, presentations, and discussion, the course provides an entrée into European
industry, economics, and engineering, stressing the inter-relationship between business, regional
development, and engineering practice. The course’s emphasis throughout is on first-hand experience –
“seeing” industry at work – through field trips not available on George Tech’s Atlanta campus. Industry
visits are organized around six major themes, designed to appeal to a wide range of engineering as well as
non-engineering majors:
Theme 1: Mining and steel (industrial engineering)
Theme 2: Automobiles and manufacturing (mechanical engineering and industrial design)
Theme 3: Transportation and logistics (industrial systems engineering)
Theme 4: Aeronautics (aerospace engineering)
Theme 5: Electronics (electrical and computer engineering)
Theme 6: Energy, power, and sustainability (nuclear engineering)
Site visits, research projects, class materials, and possible follow-up internships will facilitate critical
thinking and allow students to consider their own professional careers as future global citizens, managers,
and engineers.
Grading
Course assessment will be based on the following formula:
Attendance (mandatory)
Site visit responses
Presentations (2)
40%
20%
40%
1
Attendance on course field trips, as well as for class meetings, is required. Site visits will take place at
various points during the semester. After each site visit, students will post an electronic response to a
class wiki on T-Square. Lectures will take place during regular class hours. Students will complete two
presentations during the semester. To prepare for site visits, students in pairs will present the company or
industry for each visit. Each student will also individually prepare a short research paper or presentation
by the end of the semester on an aspect of industry, business, or regional development in Europe. Final
papers or presentations are due two weeks after the final site visit. Final course grading will be done on a
letter basis and will be rounded up on the half percentage point (i.e. 89.5% = A). Final grades will not be
available until after the Monday following the end of the exam period through Oscar.
Reading Material
Required reading material will be posted on T-Square. (See course schedule below.)
Honor Policy
Students are expected to abide by the Georgia Tech honor code. All infractions will be handled through
the Office of the Dean of Students and treated with the highest degree of seriousness.
Course Themes and Visits
The following list is intended to be inclusive, suggesting all possible visits. The schedule of actual site
visits is subject to change each semester, depending on availability and logistics.
Theme 1: Mining and steel (industrial engineering)
Voelklingen Iron Works, UNESCO World Heritage Site (Saarbrucken)
ArcelorMittal R&D center and sheet production site (Maizieres, Florange)
Tata Steel Europe rail production center (Hayange)
Theme 2: Automobiles and manufacturing (mechanical engineering and industrial design)
Peugeot factory (Tremery)
Renault SOVAB factory (Batilly)
SMART Car factory (Hambach)
Goodyear Dunlop tire plant and R&D center (Luxembourg)
Theme 3: Transportation and logistics (industrial systems engineering)
IKEA Logistics (La Maxe)
Luxair Cargo Center (Luxembourg)
Theme 4: Aeronautics (aerospace engineering)
Sky Aircraft Skylander factory, (Chambley)
Luxair (Luxembourg)
Lorraine-Ares regional aerospace cluster (Luneville)
Theme 5: Electronics (electrical and computer engineering)
TBD
Theme 6: Energy, power, and sustainablity (nuclear engineering)
EDF Cattenom nuclear reactor (Cattenom)
Haut des Ailes wind farm (Igney)
2