Studies in Argument: Nuclear Rhetorics
Fall 2001
Professor: Joanna Ploeger
Office: 155 BCSB
Office Hours: 2:30 to 4pm T/Th, F by appointment
Course Description:
This class explores the communicative dimensions of the history
and current state of nuclear weapons development in the United States.
Throughout the course we will explore the cultural dramas that shape
our understanding of nuclear weapons. We will pay particular attention
to the impact of such dramas on our political/strategic/policy choices
with respect to nuclear technologies. In short, we will be concerned
not only with what nuclear weapons mean in American culture, but
also how such meaning is constructed through public discourse.
Over the course of the semester will we work toward three principle
goals: 1) Students should develop a basic understanding of the history
of the United States’ development and use of nuclear weapons.
2) Students should develop a thorough understanding of arguments
offered in favor of and in opposition to particular nuclear weapons
technologies. 3) Students should be able to recognize, through systematic
analysis, how such arguments intersect with larger socio-political
dramas. 4) Students should be able to apply this knowledge and understanding
to the analysis of public argument regarding ongoing nuclear controversies.
Required Texts:
Reading List for 036:145 (Nuclear Rhetorics)
Required:
Return to Armageddon—Powaski
The Spread of Nuclear Weapons—Sagan and Waltz
Caging the Genie—Turner
Strategic Deception—Mitchell
Recommended:
Way Out There in the Blue—Fitzgerald
Approximate Cost through Amazon—$50-75
Books will also be available through the IMU bookstore.
Required readings will be available on line (through the course
website) or on reserve at the Main Library.
Additional Resources:
New Nukes: India, Pakistan, and Global Nuclear Disarmament—Bidwai
The Coming Crisis: Nuclear Proliferation, U.S. Interests, and World
Order—Utgoff
Defending America: The Case for Limited National Missile Defense—O’Hanlon
The American Atom—Cantelon, Hewett,Williams, and Hewlett
Long Term Stewardship and Nuclear Weapons: The Challenge Ahead—Probst
and McGovern
Best of Intentions: America’s Campaign Against Strategic
Weapons Proliferation—Sokolski
The Absolute Weapon Revisited: Nuclear Arms and the Emerging International
Order—Harknett and Wirtz
Fire in the East: The Rise of Military Power and the Second Nuclear
Age—Bracken
Citizens Against the MX: Public Languages in the Nuclear Age—Glass,
Bella
Trinity’s Children: Living Among America’s Nuclear
Highway—Bartimus, McCartney
Repairing the Regime: Preventing the Spread of Weapons of Mass
Destruction—Cirincione
Life Under a Cloud: American Anxiety about the Atom—Winkler
Nuclear Rites—Gusterson
Nuclear Fear—Weart
Learning to Glow—Bradley
The Nuclear Freeze Campaign--Hogan
(...and many more!! Just try searching Amazon with the keywords
“nuclear weapons”—you should get about 1450 hits.
Remember, however, information literacy is very important when evaluating
resources on this topic!)
Required Films and Documentaries:
Over the course of the semester, you may be required to watch several
feature films and documentaries that confront issues of nuclear
weapons development. To the extent that it is possible, we will
watch the films in class. Due to their length, however, some films
may be placed on reserve for required individual viewing.
Grading:
Satisfactory work that meets all the requirements of the assignment
is sufficient to earn a C. Higher grades are awarded to work that
goes beyond the minimum standards of the assignment. You must complete
all assignments to fulfill course requirements.
The following percentage grading scale will be used to figure final
course grades:
A = 94-100; A- = 93-90; B+ = 88-89; B = 84-87; B- = 80-83; C+ =
78-79; C = 74-77; C- = 70-73; D+ = 68-69; D = 64-67; D- = 60-63;
F = below 60
Course Requirements:
Assignment One (100 points)—Report on the history of nuclear
weapons in the United States. This report is to be well researched
and written in the style of a feature article in the newsmagazine
aimed at a general audience (think Time, Newsweek, US News and World
Report, etc.). After completing your report, you will be asked to
answer several questions about the process you went through and
decisions you made as you “reconstructed” the history
of nuclear weapons in this country.
Assignment Two (150 points)—Research on a current nuclear
controversy. Throughout the course, we will attempt understand how
the history and discourse impacts our understanding and response
to current nuclear controversies. For this assignment, you are expected
to make those connections through research on a current nuclear
controversy, technology, or issue. Possible topics include, but
are not limited to: 1) missile defense systems, 2) U.S. response
to the development of nuclear weapons in India and Pakistan, 3)
the maintenance of our aging nuclear arsenal, 4) nuclear terrorism,
and/or 5) nuclear proliferation in Asia. You should choose one of
these issues and conduct further research regarding the arguments
surrounding these issues with an eye toward understanding their
logics, significance, and historical origins. Your research should
include both articles published in both professional and popular
journals/magazines. As evidence of your work, you will turn in an
annotated bibliography that summarizes and organizes your research.
Assignment Three (150 points)—Argument analysis paper. Having
completed your bibliography, you are now ready to analyze the public
arguments surrounding your chosen issue. This paper should be 5-6
pages in length and should address the following: 1) What narrative
arguments surround your chosen issue? 2) What action (or lack of
action) is proposed or being advocated in the narrative? 3) Why?
4) What reasons are given for the action? 5) Evaluate these reasons,
both “real” and “claimed.” Ask yourself,
could the story have been constructed differently (with different
actions, outcomes, or reasons)? 6) Evaluate the outcomes made possible
by the narratives currently in play. Pay particular attention to
the implications of recent actions on current and future nuclear
policy decisions.
Assignment Four (150 points)—Group policy-setting project.
Class members working on the same issues will form groups, pool
their existing research (and conduct new research as necessary),
and prepare a written report containing policy recommendations for
the future development/containment/elimination of a specific nuclear
technologies. An oral version of this report will be given in class
during the final week of the semester.
Attendance/Participation (150 points)--Because this is a communication
class, your attendance and contribution are crucial to the course.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class period (so
you need to be there on time!). 5 points will be awarded for each
class session attended up to a maximum of 150 points. Leaving early,
arriving late without prior explanation and clearance, or working
on other materials in class also will be considered an absence.
Extended absences due to extreme circumstances will be dealt with
on a case-by-case basis. Documentation and advanced notification
(when possible) will be required in these situations.
Participation will be evaluated in terms of constructive contributions
to class discussions (this includes both listening and speaking),
completion of homework assignments, participation in classroom exercises,
and demonstrated knowledge of the readings and current public issues.
Students can earn up to 30 extra points toward the total grade for
active participation in class discussion (1 point per class period
attended). Homework, exercises, and quizzes will be evaluated with
a "+" (good), "check" (satisfactory), or a "-"
(unsatisfactory). This system will allow you to keep track of your
progress.
TOTAL = 700 PTS.
Course Policies:
1) Attendance—see above.
2) Late work: Tests and other assignments and activities cannot
be made up. Absence on the day of a test or an activity or failure
to turn a written assignment in on time will result in an F for
that assignment (0 points). Due dates are set in advance, so there
should be no need for extensions. If you are having difficulty with
a particular project, please see me--a personal conference can often
help to get you on track and on time! Extreme circumstances will
be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Make-ups are only granted
when substantial documentation is provided and the instructor has
been notified of the absence in advance!!!
3) Handouts: Most handouts and materials will be available through
the course website. Handouts distributed in class will be distributed
only once. If you lose them (or miss a class) you must get them
from a classmate or print out a copy from the web. NO EXCEPTIONS!!
4) Plagiarism: The Liberal Arts Bulletin states:
"Plagiarism and cheating may result in grade reduction and/or
other serious penalties. Plagiarism and cheating include, but may
not be limited to:
*presenting the ideas of others without credit to the source
*using direct quotations without quotation marks and without giving
credit to the source
*paraphrasing without credit
*participating in a group project that uses plagiarized materials
*failing to provide citations for material obtained through electronic
research
*downloading and submitting work from electronic databases
*submitting material created by someone else as one's own,
including purchased term papers
*allowing someone else to use your work
Students who have questions about the proper use and citation of
sources, or details and guidelines for any assignment, should discuss
their questions with the instructor.
An instructor who suspects a student of plagiarism and cheating
must inform the student as soon as possible after the incident has
been observed or discovered. If the instructor comes to the conclusion
that the student has plagiarized or cheated, he or she in consultation
with the departmental executive officer may decide to reduce the
student's grade in the course, even to assign an F. The departmental
executive officer sends a written report of the case to the associate
dean of academic programs. A copy of this report is sent to the
student.
The associate dean for academic programs may uphold, as the offense
may warrant, the following or other penalties: placement on disciplinary
probation until graduation, suspension from the college for a semester
or longer, or recommendation of exclusion from the University by
the president."
5) Discussion Etiquette: I encourage a free and frank exchange
of views in my classroom--good discussions flourish in an open environment.
Be aware, however, that we will address contentious and controversial
issues in this class. In such situations, listening is as much a
part of participation as is speaking. Learning to understand a perspective
that differs from your own is vital in the development of communication
competence. Take advantage of the myriad of viewpoints offered by
the participants in this class. Furthermore, given the nature of
some class material, please feel free to speak with me if at any
time you should feel challenged or confused by classroom discussion.
6) Classroom Etiquette: Every day that you are in class, you will
be psychologically as well as physically present. Newspapers, books,
and other materials (other than those we are using in classroom
discussion) will be put away as soon as class begins. Likewise,
you should refrain from packing up your materials until class is
over--even a few people rustling papers or backpacks are highly
distracting and disruptive to those trying to listen.
7) Disability: If you have a disability that may require some modification
of seating, testing, or other class requirements, please see me
during office hours or after class so that appropriate arrangements
can be made.
9) Problems: Come see me with any problems you may be having with
the class. I am always happy to speak with you.
Schedule for Nuclear Rhetorics:
Week One--8/28-8/30--Orientation
Week Two—9/4-9/6--Nuclear Criticism
Week Three—9/11-9/13--Nuclear Criticism
Week Four—9/18-9/20--Historical Overview—major developments
in weaponry and policy
Week Five—9/25-9/27-- Key periods, technologies, and issues--40s
and 50s
Assignment One Due (beginning of class--Thursday 9/27)
Week Six—10/2-10/4-- Key periods, technologies, and issues--40s
and 50s
Week Seven—10/9-10/11-- Key periods—60s and 70s
Week Eight—10/16-10/18-- Key periods—60s and 70s continued
Assignment Two Due (beginning of class—Thursday 10/18)
Week Nine—10/23-10/25--Key Periods—The 80s
Week Ten—10/30-11/1--No class—NCA (students will meet
in groups)
Week Eleven—11/6-11/8--Key Periods—The 80s
Week Twelve—11/13-11/15--Current issues
Assignment Three Due (beginning of class—Thursday 11/15)
Week Thirteen—11/20--Current issues
(11/22—Thanksgiving break)
Week Fourteen—11/27-11/29--Group Presentations
Week Fifteen—12/4-12/6--Group Presentations
Week Sixteen—12/11-12/13--Group Presentations
Assignment Four Due (beginning of class—Thursday 12/13)
Final Exam: Thursday, December 20th—9:45am
