courses of instruction - Lafayette College

219. Multimedia Communications and
the Information Superhighway. This
seminar addresses technological, econom
ic, and social issues related to the proposi
tion of building a national information in
frastructure. Technical aspects such as the
concept of wide bandwidth transmis
sion, digital communications, fiber optics,
and multimedia communications are ad
dressed. Also, a critical evaluation of the
impact of forthcoming electronic services
on current social values is developed
through writing assignments and class
discussions. Mr. Jouny
220. Counting and Culture. This seminar
examines connections between culture
and mathematics. It concentrates on the
mathematics found in ancient, non-literate
and non-Western cultures, especially tra
ditional African cultures and pre-Colum-
bia civilizations. Topics include number
concepts; recordkeeping, including calen
dars, games, geometry and other cultures;
and how culture influences the develop
ment of mathematics. Mr. Meier
221. Artificial Minds. This seminar helps
students gain an understanding of an im
portant technology artificial intelligence.
They learn how to deal with the value
questions pertaining to this technology
and continue to improve their writing
skills. Mr. Slaght
222. Patient-Practitioner Interaction: The
Role of Medical Technology. This sem
inar examines the psychological and social
factors that contribute, in both positive
and negative ways, to this dynamic rela
tionship, which is the essence of medical
practice. Of major concern is the role of
medical technology. Issues examined in
clude factors that affect the decision to use
the technology, such as age, costs, and
prognosis, as well as the needs and inter
ests of the patient, the practitioner, and,
ultimately, society. Mr. Childs
223. Technological Catastrophes. In the
past several decades, many highly publi
cized accidents involving both advanced
and new technologies have occurred. The
VALUES AND SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY SEMINAR
most notable include the Bhopal chemical
leak, the space shuttle Challenger explo
sion, the Three Mile Island nuclear acci
dent, and the Dalkon Shield IUD litiga
tion. Using these and other examples of
catastrophic failures in technological sys
tems as case studies, this seminar exam
ines the technical, economic, legal, and so
cial costs versus benefits of these accidents
and how they may be avoided in the fu
ture. Mr. Best
224. Violence in the Media. This seminar
attempts to define what constitutes vio
lence in the media and examines how tech
nology not only influences individual be
havior but also reshapes the culture at
large. Technological advances that widely
disseminate images of violence the print
ing press, computers, sound recording de
vices, film, the video camera, and televi
sion are investigated. The tensions created
by the interaction among technology, art,
free expression, and traditional standards
of behavior are evaluated in an effort to as
certain the cultural values and social mores
operating in society. Mr. Reibman
225. New Drug Development: Benefits
and Costs. This seminar examines the his
tory of drug discovery, development, and
production. Issues such as the ethics of
drug testing, problems of overexposure to
antibiotics, and the technological advance
ments necessary for large-scale production
are discussed. Simple experiments demon
strate a few of the technologies used.
Ms. Piergiovanni
226. Sustainable Development: Oxymo
ron or Imperative. Current population
and economic growth will soon constrain
the planets resources and environment,
thereby infringing upon future quality of
life. The seminar evaluates the conse
quences of these trends and explores the
complex interactions of population and
economic dynamics with the planet's
resources and environment. The seminar
explores the adequacy of commerce and
market economics in defining and mea
suring society's prosperity and evaluates
options for achieving a sustainable future
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