“Now,
I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
-
J. Robert
Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad-Gita at the 1st detonation of
the atomic bomb
“A world without
nuclear weapons would be less stable and more dangerous for all of us.”
-
British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
IAFS 4500-001 & 002/The Post-Cold War World: Global Security -
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Spring
2022
Instructor: Dr. Gregory D. Young
Office: Ketchum
Hall, Room 212
E-mail: gyoung@colorado.edu
Lecture Times: Section 001 - Tuesdays
& Thursdays, 11:00am - 12:15pm in Club 6 (Remote on Zoom for first two weeks)
Section 002 – Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30pm – 4:45pm in
HUMN 160 (Remote on Zoom for first two weeks)
Syllabus: http://spot.colorado.edu/~gyoung/home/IA4500/4500_syl.htm
Office Hours: Tuesdays &
Thursdays 12:30- 1:45pm or Wednesdays by appointment on Zoom.
COURSE LINKS
· Schedule for
Current Event Presentations
· Schedule and Links to Course
Reading Summaries
· Research Proposal Grade
Sheet
· Link to Potential Midterm
Questions
· Midterm Grading Statistical
Summary
· Research Presentation
Schedule
· Oral Presentation
Grade Sheet
Course Objectives
Thirty years
have passed since the end of the Cold War, but we are still struggling to
understand the nature of the world that has emerged in its wake. What are now
the main sources of conflict in the “new world order”, now that the fifty-year
bipolar standoff between the U.S. and the USSR has dissolved? Is terrorism of
the kind exhibited on 9/11 the biggest threat to global security or is there a
new, more sinister threat from weapons of mass destruction? This course is
going to focus on the weapons of mass destruction that defined the “balance of
terror during the Cold War. Clearly before one can understand the most
important global issues confronting the post-Cold War World, one must
understand the Cold War. Therefore, the first part of the course will confront
the origins of, dynamics during, and reasons for the end of the Soviet/U.S.
balance of terror. The latter part will examine the role of WMD in the
Post-Cold War world. The end result of the course is a senior thesis which
examines in depth, one portion of the role/relevance of WMD in the post-Cold
War world.
Course Requirements
Required
Reading
There
are no textbooks to purchase for this class. All
course readings delineated in the course schedule are linked to this syllabus
behind password protection. The readings for this course are
interdisciplinary, including works from political science, history, economics
and geography. All of the readings are required.
Other readings will be linked to this syllabus. All of the readings are required. Your instructor
was able to eliminate the purchase of textbooks due to a grant provided by OPEN
CU at the Norlin Library. Excerpts from the following
texts and other articles and chapters can be found in the Course Readings
READINGS
It is essential that
students attend every class and be on time. Regular attendance and active
participation in any class discussion will enhance your understanding of the
course material and almost certainly improve your performance on the midterm
exam, in-class debates and on your semester paper, which are together worth 80%
of the course grade. Notifying your instructor by email prior to class will
constitute an excused absence. Send email absence notifications to gyoung@colorado.edu. In this semester, the required readings range from
100 to 150 pages per week, as set out in the course schedule. Students should
come to class having already completed (and thought carefully about) the
assigned reading for each class period. When/if the class changes from
in-person teaching to synchronous remote, attendance will be handled the same
with all students expected to remain on Zoom for the entire class with their
cameras on.
MIDTERM
EXAM
The one midterm exam will
be held during normal class time on Tuesday, April 5th. The
exam will consist of several terms and one essay question. A terms list will be
posted one week in advance of the exam. Students will write the exam in a BlueBook provided to the instructor in advance of the exam. Do not write your name on your BlueBook as they will be redistributed. The Midterm exam
is worth 25% of your final course grade. There is no final exam in the course,
just your senior thesis. Should the class remain remote synchronous
presentation, then the midterm exam will become open book/note and will be
uploaded in Word to Canvas after the normal allotted class time.
SENIOR
THESIS/RESEARCH PAPER
Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography:
Students will write a detailed research proposal and an annotated bibliography
for the term’s research project. It should be about 2500 words in length. They
will be due on Tuesday, March 8th.
Please include a word count on the first
page. These papers should be properly documented and footnoted. The
electronic copy in Word should be posted to the assignment dropbox
on CANVAS. Papers will be graded 50% on content and 50% on grammar, punctuation
and spelling. Late submissions will be docked one grade per class day after the
due date (e.g., A- to B-, C to D, etc.) up to 50%, unless you have coordinated
with your instructor in advance as to why it was impossible for you to meet the
deadline. Electronic copies of this paper will
be checked for plagiarism. This research proposal/annotated bibliography counts
for 10% of your final course grade. This shorter proposal paper will allow you
to get some feedback on your writing prior to undertaking the senior research
paper.
Research Paper: Each student in the course will be required to complete a detailed
research paper that examines one of the following topics related to weapons of
mass destruction and the themes of the course:
1.
Syrian Chemical
Weapons and their destruction
2.
Evolution of
Ballistic Missile Submarines and their future effectiveness
3.
The
India/Pakistan Nuclear Balance
4.
The Israeli
Nuclear Program
5.
The North Korean
WMD programs: can they reach the U.S. and can they be negotiated away?
6.
The bad U.S. intelligence
on Saddam’s WMD program, why and what can be done to prevent it from happening
again.
7.
The South African
nuclear program?
8.
Soviet inroads in
to the Manhattan Project, how much did that accelerate the Soviet program
9.
AQ Khan and his
nuclear network
10.
Shoko Assahara, Aum Shinrikyo and their WMD program, should we
fear future non-state actors?
11.
Nuclear Winter,
myth or reality?
12.
The History of
the Western Disarmament Movement.
13.
Cuban Missile
Crisis, how close to Armageddon?
14.
The Salt I talks,
negotiating strategy and how they relate to current reduction talks.
15.
The U.S. anthrax
attack in the wake of 9/11.
16.
Chemical/Bio
Weapons in the Iran/Iraq War
17.
Russian use of
Chemical Weapons in the attack on the Moscow Theater hostage crisis, 2002.
18.
DOD
experimentation with Chemical & Bio Weapons on U.S. troops.
19.
Treaty of Tlatelolco, the South American Nuclear-Free Zone.
20.
U.S. Soviet
compliance with the Chemical Weapons convention, why is it so hard?
21.
The Biological
Weapons Treaties, the science of “weaponization”, what are the realities?
22.
The NNPT,
history, effectiveness and future.
23.
The reality of
“Loose Nukes” in the wake of the collapse of the USSR (still relevant).
24.
The Nunn/Luger
program, a proper way to spend U.S. tax dollars?
25.
Rocky Flats Colorado,
environmental disaster, cover up & wildlife refuge?
26.
The future of
WMD, science fiction or some new catastrophic weapon.
27.
Is Disarmament
unrealistic idealism?
28.
Coercion and
Foreign policy, a theoretical discussion.
29.
Near misses,
accidents in the Cold War, could they have led to nuclear war?
30.
ISIS and Chemical
Weapons
31.
Five Post-Cold
War Paradigms and their association with the relevance of WMD
32.
Is Deterrence
Theory Obsolete?
33.
Is the
modernization of the US nuclear TRIAD required and why?
34.
The JCPOA, Good
or bad deal?
35.
Inupiat Eskimos,
hydrogen bombs and harbor construction in the fifties
36.
Cyberattack, the
new weapon of mass destruction
The
paper will undertake an analysis of the particular topic through the lens of
the theme of the course – “Are WMD and particularly nuclear weapons relevant in
the post-Cold War World. Additional subjects/themes may be added at the
approval of the instructor. The Research paper is due on Tuesday, April 26th
uploaded to Canvas by 5:00pm. The essay
should be between 4000 and 5000 words in length (approximately 16 to 20 pages
double-spaced). Include a word count on the first page. Papers should be
in 10-12 pitch in either Courier or Times Roman font. Late essays
will be docked one grade per class day after the due date (e.g., A- to B-, C to
D, etc.) up to 50%, unless you provide a doctor’s note explaining why it was
impossible for you to meet the deadline. Computer malfunction is not an
acceptable excuse for an essay being late. Re-read your papers for clarity,
grammar, spelling and punctuation, since poor execution of these elements will
also affect your grade. Append a bibliography of all sources and provide footnotes
where appropriate. The majority of sources should be academic monographs,
original source materiel or articles from academic journals. The essay will
count 25% of your final grade. This paper will also be submitted in Word (Again
uploaded to Canvas).
STUDENT
PRESENTATIONS
In the last two weeks of
the semester, each student will present their research to the class and
summarize their findings as they relate to the class themes. The presentation
will be 10-12 minutes in length. A grade sheet summarizing the grading criteria
for the presentation will be linked to this syllabus. Audiovisual aids are
encouraged but not required. Some students will give their presentations prior
to the paper due date. Each student will turn in a ONE PAGE outline of
their presentation on presentation day. The presentation will be 10% of your
course grade.
READING
SUMMARY
For
each section of the reading, an assigned student(s) will summarize the readings
due in class that day. In a 2-3 page synopsis of each assigned set of articles
or chapters, the designated student will give an overview of the key points of
the reading. The summary can either be in outline form or complete paragraphs.
The summary should include an answer to the “so what?” question, in other
words, why should one read it when studying about war and peace. Before
midnight on the day before the due date, the students will email an electronic
copy to their instructor. The instructor will post the summary on the web for
the review of your classmates. These summaries will be 10% of your final grade
and graded pass/fail. Late Reading Summaries will be docked 10% per class day
up to 50%.
IN
CLASS DEBATES
On two class days late in
the semester, there will be in-class debates. The class will be divided into
four teams of four students, that will research and debate both sides of the
two WMD issues on those class days. On November 16th, half the class
will debate whether more nuclear weapons lead to a more stable world. On
November the 18th the other half of the class will debate whether a
military strike on Iran would be appropriate or effective should the Iranian
theocracy not give up their nuclear program or continue to violate the
agreement on their nuclear program. Participation/results in the debates will
be 10% of your final course grade. The debate format will be explained further
in class, but the debate rules and format are linked to this syllabus.
CURRENT
EVENTS
Students
should also follow contemporary world events by reading a reputable
international news source, such as the New
York Times, The Economist or the Wall Street Journal on a regular basis. One to two
students will present a current event orally in class each day. The
presentation should be no more than five minutes in length. The source should
be from a respected news source, be less than one week old and pertain in some
way to global issues being discussed that week in the seminar. Each student
should try to relate the article to some element of what we will be discussing
in class. News reports on the Internet are acceptable sources. Students should
email their current event article to their instructor the night before they are
scheduled to present. Students should also append a proposed discussion
question with their emailed article. At the end of the current event summation,
each student will pose their discussion question to the class and lead an
additional five-minute dialogue. The current event presentation will be part of
your 10% participation grade.
grading
Criteria
Thesis
Proposal/Annotated Bibliography 10%
Senior
Thesis/Research Paper 25%
Thesis
Presentation 10%
Midterm
Exam 25%
In
Class Debates 10%
Reading
Summaries 10%
Attendance,
Current Event & participation 10%
|
Day/Date |
Topic |
Assigned Reading |
|
Tues 11 Jan |
Course Administration |
· None |
|
Thurs 13 Jan |
Course Introduction |
· None |
|
Tues 18 Jan |
The End of the Cold War and New Paradigms for Global Interaction |
· Samuel Huntington “Clash of Civilizations” Foreign Affairs · Francis Fukuyama “The End of History” · Benjamin Barber “Jihad v. McWorld” · Robert Kaplan “The Coming Anarchy” The
Atlantic Monthly, · Joseph S. Nye “A New World Order” in Nye (Ed). Understanding International Conflicts: An Introduction to Theory and History, 1997 |
|
Thurs 20 Jan |
History of the Cold War: Origins of the Cold War & McCarthyism Movie: “War & Peace in the Nuclear Age – Dawn” |
·
David
Painter(1999), Chapter 2 & 3 in The
Cold War: An International History. Gar Alperovitz, “The Bomb didn’t Beat Japan, Stalin Did” |
|
Tues 25 Jan |
History of the Cold War: Arms Control & Détente |
· David Painter(1999), Chapter 4 & 5 in The Cold War: An International History. |
|
Thurs 27 Jan |
History of the Cold War: U.S. Cold War Defense Policy WMD/Nuclear Weapons & the Nuclear Arsenals |
· Richard Smoke, (1993), Chapter 4, “America
fashions its national security”, in National
Security and the Nuclear Dilemma. · William Arkin &Richard Fieldhouse Chapter 3 “Nuclear
Arsenals” in Nuclear Battlefields |
|
Tues 1 Feb |
Nuclear Arsenals Part II |
· None |
|
Thurs 3 Feb |
History of the Cold War: The End of the Cold War |
· David Painter(1999), Chapter 6 in The Cold War: An International History |
|
Tues 8 Feb |
Nuclear War Thinking the Unthinkable: How Nuclear War might begin |
·
Herman
Kahn (1984), “Thinking about the unthinkable” Part One in Thinking About The Unthinkable in the
1980s, ·
Henry
Kissinger (1957) “The Fires of Prometheus” in Nuclear Weapons and Foreign Policy ·
Harvard
Nuclear Study Group “How Might Nuclear War Begin” in The Nuclear Reader |
|
Thurs 10 Feb |
Library Research Day |
·
Meet
in the Norlin Library |
|
Tues 15 Feb |
How to write a research proposal/annotated Bibliography. |
·
None |
|
Thurs 17 Feb |
Nuclear War - By Accident Movie: “Dr. Strangelove” (Excerpts) |
· Bruce G. Blair (1993), Introduction to The Logic of Accidental Nuclear War ·
Eric Schlosser, “Almost Everything in Dr. Strangelove Was True.” The New Yorker, January 17, 2014 |
|
Tues 22 Feb |
Strategy for Nuclear War Nuclear Winter |
·
Theodore
Draper “Nuclear Temptations: Doctrinal Issues in the Strategic Debate.” In The Nuclear Reader ·
William
Martel & Paul Savage, “Nuclear Strategy: What it is and Is Not” in The Nuclear Reader ·
Robert
Jervis, “The Utility of Nuclear Deterrence” in The Use of Force ·
National
conference of Catholic Bishops, “Nuclear Strategy and the Challenge of Peace:
The Moral Evaluation of Deterrence in Light of Policy Developments” in The Nuclear Reader |
|
Thurs 24 Feb |
Nuclear Proliferation: The NNPT Movie: “War & Peace in the Nuclear Age – Have and Have Not” |
· Ian Smart (1989), “Pinioning the Genie: International Checks on the Spread of Nuclear
Weapons” In The Nuclear Reader. |
|
Tues 1 Mar |
Nuclear Proliferation: India & Pakistan |
· Jaswant Singh (1998), “Against Nuclear Apartheid” Foreign Affairs · Kenneth Waltz, “Nuclear Stability in South
Asia” in The Use of Forc Scott Sagan, “Nuclear Instability in South Asia” in The Use of Force |
|
Thurs 3 Mar |
Nuclear Proliferation: North Korea |
· Broad,
“Hidden Travels of the Bomb”, New York
Times, Tues 9 Dec 08 ·
Sanger & Broad, “How U.S. Intelligence Agencies
Underestimated North Korea” New York Times. 6 Jan 18 · Broad, “A Giant Nuclear Blast, but a
Hydrogen Bomb? Too Soon to Say” New York Times.
3 Sep 17
· |
|
Tues 8 Mar |
Nuclear Proliferation: Israel Research Proposal/ Annotated Bibliography Due |
· Ehsaneh I. Sadr, “The Impact of Iran’s Nuclearization on Israel” in The Use of Force · Ari Shavit, “The Project”, Ch. 7 in My Promised Land. 2013 |
|
Thurs 10 Mar |
Chemical & Biological Weapons |
· Gregory Koblentz, “Pathogens as Weapons: The International
Security Implications of Biological Weapons” in The Use of Force. · Jean Pascal Zanders, (1999) “Assessing the
Risk of Chemical and Biological Weapons Proliferation to Terrorists” in The Nonproliferation Review. |
|
Tues 15 Mar |
Military Utility of WMD |
· Robert McNamara (1989), The Military Role
of Nuclear Weapons: Perceptions and Misperceptions.” In The Nuclear Reader. · Kanti Bajpai (2001), “The Military Utility of Nuclear
Weapons” Pugwash Conference · McGeorge Bundy “The Unimpressive Record of Atomic
Diplomacy” in The Use of Force,
(2009) |
|
Thurs 17 Mar |
Defensive Systems: ABM & Star Wars Movie: “War and Peace in the Nuclear Age - Reagan’s Shield” |
· Robert Bowman, “The objectives of ballistic
missile defense.” In The Nuclear Reader. · Robert McNamara “The Star Wars Defense
System: A Technical Note” in The
Nuclear Reader |
|
Tues 22 Mar |
Spring Break |
· No Class |
|
Thurs 24 Mar |
Spring Break |
· No Class |
|
Tues 29 Mar |
WMD in Terrorist Hands “The Sum of all Fears” |
· Graham Allison (2004), Part One
“Inevitable” in Nuclear Terrorism: The
Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe · Walter Laquer (1999), Weapons of Mass Destruction in The New Terrorism. |
|
Thurs 31 Mar |
The Future of WMD/ Nuclear
Weapons Obama, Trump and WMD |
· Thomas Schelling (2009), “A World without
Nuclear Weapons”, Daedalus · Wall
St. Journal “A
World Free of Nuclear Weapons” January 4, 2007 · John Mueller (1988), “The Essential
Irrelevance of Nuclear Weapons: Stability in the Postwar World.” International Security. · Mary Beth Sheridan, “The nuclear arms
policy shoes limits U.S. faces? The
Washington Post, April 7, 2010 · C. Dale Walton and Colin S. Gray (2007).
“The Second Nuclear Age: Nuclear Weapons in the Twenty-First Century” in Strategy in the Contemporary World · Jeffrey Lewis (2016), “Donald Trump Is an
Idiot Savant on Nuclear Policy”, Foreign
Policy |
|
Tues 5 Apr |
Midterm Examination |
· Study, Study, & Study |
|
Thurs 7 Apr |
Debate Rules and Prep |
· None |
|
Tues 12 Apr |
In Class Debate I Nuclear Proliferation: Which is better more or less? |
· Scott Sagan & Kenneth Waltz (2003), Chapter 1 & 2 in The Spread of Nuclear Weapons: A Debate Renewed |
|
Thurs 14 Apr |
In Class Debate II Nuclear Proliferation: Iran, What should the West do? |
· Matthew Kroenig, "Time To Attack Iran" (Foreign
Affairs Jan/Feb 2012) · Colin H. Kahl, "Not Time to Attack Iran"
(Foreign Affairs Mar/Apr 2012) · The Iran Study Group, “Weighing the Costs
and Benefits of Military Action Against Iran.” |
|
Tues 19 Apr |
Go Over Midterm Exam Discuss Thesis Presentations |
· None |
|
Thurs 21 Apr |
5 Student Thesis Presentation FCQ Day |
· None |
|
Tues 26 Apr |
5 Student Thesis Presentations Senior Thesis Due |
· None |
|
Thurs 28 Apr |
5 Student Thesis Presentation |
·
None |
|
Wed 4 May |
Section 001:
No Final Examination |
Presentation
Makeups in final exam period 4:30–7:00pm |
|
Mon 2 May |
Section 002:
No Final Examination |
Presentation
Makeups in final exam period 1:30–4:00pm |
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:
Classroom
Behavior
Both
students and faculty are responsible for maintaining an appropriate learning
environment in all instructional settings, whether in person, remote or online.
Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to
discipline. Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with
respect to individuals and topics dealing with race, color, national origin,
sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation
or political philosophy. For more
information, see the policies on classroom
behavior and the Student
Code of Conduct.
Requirements
for COVID-19
As a matter
of public health and safety, all members of the CU Boulder community and all
visitors to campus must follow university, department and building requirements
and all public health orders in place to reduce the risk of spreading
infectious disease. Students who fail to adhere to these requirements will be
asked to leave class, and students who do not leave class when asked or who
refuse to comply with these requirements will be referred to Student Conduct
and Conflict Resolution. For more information, see the policy on classroom
behavior and the Student Code of Conduct. If you require accommodation because
a disability prevents you from fulfilling these safety measures, please follow
the steps in the “Accommodation for Disabilities” statement on this syllabus.
CU Boulder
currently requires masks in classrooms and laboratories regardless of
vaccination status. This requirement is a precaution to supplement CU Boulder’s
COVID-19 vaccine requirement. Exemptions include individuals who cannot
medically tolerate a face covering, as well as those who are hearing-impaired
or otherwise disabled or who are communicating with someone who is
hearing-impaired or otherwise disabled and where the ability to see the mouth
is essential to communication. If you qualify for a mask-related accommodation,
please follow the steps in the “Accommodation for Disabilities” statement on
this syllabus. In addition, vaccinated instructional faculty who are engaged in
an indoor instructional activity and are separated by at least 6 feet from the
nearest person are exempt from wearing masks if they so choose.
If you feel ill and think you might have
COVID-19, if you have tested positive for COVID-19, or if you are unvaccinated
or partially vaccinated and have been in close contact with someone who has
COVID-19, you should stay home and follow the further guidance of the Public
Health Office (contacttracing@colorado.edu). If you are fully vaccinated and
have been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay
home; rather, you should self-monitor for symptoms and follow the further
guidance of the Public Health Office (contacttracing@colorado.edu).
Accommodation
for Disabilities
If you
qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit your accommodation
letter from Disability Services to your faculty member in a timely manner so
that your needs can be addressed.
Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented
disabilities in the academic environment.
Information on requesting accommodations is located on the Disability
Services website. Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or
dsinfo@colorado.edu for further assistance.
If you have a temporary medical condition, see Temporary Medical
Conditions on the Disability Services website.
Preferred
Student Names and Pronouns
CU Boulder
recognizes that students' legal information doesn't always align with how they
identify. Students may update their preferred names and pronouns via the
student portal; those preferred names and pronouns are listed on instructors'
class rosters. In the absence of such updates, the name that appears on the
class roster is the student's legal name.
Honor Code
All students
enrolled in a University of Colorado Boulder course are responsible for knowing
and adhering to the Honor Code academic integrity policy. Violations of the
Honor Code may include, but are not limited to:
plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, lying, bribery, threat, unauthorized access
to academic materials, clicker fraud, submitting the same or similar work in
more than one course without permission from all course instructors involved,
and aiding academic dishonesty. All incidents of academic misconduct will be
reported to the Honor Code (honor@colorado.edu); 303-492-5550). Students found
responsible for violating the academic integrity policy will be subject to
nonacademic sanctions from the Honor Code as well as academic sanctions from
the faculty member. Additional information regarding the Honor Code academic
integrity policy can be found on the Honor Code website.
Sexual
Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment and/or Related Retaliation
CU Boulder is
committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning, working, and living
environment. The university will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct
(harassment, exploitation, and assault), intimate partner violence (dating or
domestic violence), stalking, or protected-class discrimination or harassment
by or against members of our community. Individuals who believe they have been subject
to misconduct or retaliatory actions for reporting a concern should contact the
Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127 or email
cureport@colorado.edu. Information about university policies, reporting
options, and the support resources can be found on the OIEC website.
Please know
that faculty and graduate instructors have a responsibility to inform OIEC when
they are made aware of incidents of sexual misconduct, dating and domestic
violence, stalking, discrimination, harassment and/or related retaliation, to
ensure that individuals impacted receive information about their rights,
support resources, and reporting options. To learn more about reporting and
support options for a variety of concerns, visit Don’t Ignore It.
Religious
Holidays
Campus
policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty make every effort
to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who, because of religious
obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments or required
attendance. In this class, to
obtain an excuse absence students need only to email their instructor in
advance of class regarding their upcoming absence.
CELLULAR
TELEPHONE/LAPTOP COMPUTER POLICY
Needless
to say, all cellular phones must be turned off and put away
at the beginning of each class meeting. Classes failing to comply will be
issued a stern warning on the first occasion of a phone ringing during class
time. The entire class will have a pop quiz over the previous reading
assignments/lectures on the second and subsequent occurrences. Phones will not
be out on desks or used during any quiz or examination.
Laptop computers
have been allowed in my classes for the 20 years that I have been teaching at
CU, beginning this year however, they will not be allowed to be out or open in
class. I still believe that they can assist learning in the classroom, but
significant new research shows that taking notes by hand increases learning.
Also, a new study shows that laptops open and displaying non-class materiel are
distracting not only to the user, but the students in view of the laptop and
inhibit learning. Students can apply for exceptions for reason of disability or
a proven track record of in class note-taking on the computer. Here is a link
to an article about laptop impact on education: Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting, New York Times Op Ed, By
SUSAN DYNARSKI NOV. 22, 2017
Taking this course signifies acceptance of the terms and conditions
stated in this syllabus.
