TECHNOLOGY AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

PLAN 4701-01W

 

 

Semester Hours:

3

 

Semester/Year:

Spring 2003

 

Section/Day/Time:

Sec. 01W

T 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Location:

111 Pafford Building

 

Instructor:

G. Richard Larkin

 

Office Location:

138 Pafford Building

 

Telephone:

770-838-3215

 

E-mail:

dlarkin@westga.edu

 

Fax:

770-836-4665

 

Office Hours:

Monday 

2:30 pm – 4:30 pm

 

Tuesday

11:00 am - 1:00 pm

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm

 

Thursday (Newnan)

4:00 pm - 6:00 pm

 

Other Times

By Appointment

 

 

 

CATALOG DESCRIPTION OF COURSE

 

The course provides an examination of the institutional and social context in which economic policy operates in the United States and abroad. It examines the role of technology in job destruction and creation, locational qualities, reviews strategies and programs for promotion of local and regional economic development.

 

 

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of the:

 

1.      Meaning of regional economic development

2.      Role technology plays in contemporary regional economic development

3.      Means used to promote technologically based regional economic development

4.      Various approaches to technology-based economic development throughout the United States and the world.

 

 

TEXTBOOKS, READINGS, AND INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES

 

 

§         Sears, D.W. and Reid, J.N. eds.  (1995). Rural Development Strategies. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall Publishers.

§         Mann, C. L., Eckert, S.E. and Knight, S.C. (2000). Global Electronic Commerce: A Policy Primer. Washington, DC: Institute for International Economics.

 

§         Please check the Department of Political Science and Planning website frequently.  The instructor may post additional support materials for this course as the semester develops.

 

 

CLASS PROCEDURES AND POLICIES

 

 

Format

 

The class will be conducted using a discussion format. Each student will be responsible for the prompt completion of all required reading assignments. These assignments are listed in the “Agenda” section of this document. Each student is expected to participate in class discussions and exercises. If a student is experiencing difficulty in participating, s/he should arrange a meeting with the instructor to discuss the difficulty.

 

Attendance

 

Attendance in class and participation in class discussions and activities are integral elements of this course. As such, each time a student misses one (1) class without permission of the instructor, her or his final course grade will be reduced one (1) letter grade.

 

Classroom Conduct

 

Students engaging in disruptive classroom behavior (e.g., talking about non-class related matters or passing notes to another student during a lecture or class discussion) will receive one warning. The next time a student engages in disruptive classroom behavior, s/he will be dropped from the class roll.

 

Academic Misconduct

 

All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. The University Academic Dishonesty Policy outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.

 

 

REQUIREMENTS

 

Newspaper Journal

 

Every class period each student will read at least one article pertaining to economic development. These articles should come from recent additions of newspapers, magazines, and scholarly journals.

 

The student will turn in a journal entry each class period based on the article(s). The journal entry at a minimum must include the following: The source of the article, the dateline if applicable, type of article (e.g., editorial, analysis, front page story, etc.), the author if applicable, a one paragraph summary of the article, and a one paragraph summary of your reaction to the article. The journals will be graded on a pass/ fail basis with ten (10) points given for a pass and zero (0) points for a fail. Newspaper Journal entries may not be made-up or turned in late; however, the three (3) lowest journal grades will be dropped when calculating your final grade.

 

Quickwrites

 

At the beginning of each class period, the instructor will ask the students to provide a one-paragraph quickwrite response to a concept or question raised in the assigned readings. The quickwrites will serve as a springboard for class discussions. The responses will be graded on a pass/ fail basis with ten (10) points given for a pass and zero (0) points for a fail. Quickwrite responses may not be made-up or turned in late; however, the three (3) lowest quickwrite responses will be dropped when calculating your final grade.

 

Formal Papers

 

Each student will write two ten page (double spaced, plus notes and bibliography) papers. The student and instructor will determine the topics for the papers based on class readings and the student’s interest. Each paper will be completed in five phases as follows:

 

1.      One page description of the topic

2.      Detailed outline

3.      Completed first draft of the paper

4.      Editing group comments

5.      Final paper and discussion

 

The nature and specific requirements for each phase of the papers will be discussed in more detail during the first week of the semester. The due dates for each phase of the papers are listed in the “Agenda” section of this Document.

 

 

GRADES

 

 

Relative Importance of Course Requirements

 

Assignment

Value Per Assignment

Total Points

Newspaper Journal

10 @ 10 points each

100

Quickwrite Responses

10 @ 10 points each

100

First Formal Paper

1 @ 300 points

300

Second Formal Paper

1 @ 500 points

500

 

Grading Scale

 

Grade

Points

A

900 and above

B

800-899

C

700-799

D

600-699

F

Below 600

 

 

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

 

This section of PLAN 4701 has a “W” designation signifying that it is a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) course. Students are required to take two “W” courses for an undergraduate degree in the College of Arts and Sciences. WAC accepts as a guiding principle the idea that writing is a valuable tool for learning and communication. The Newspaper Journals and Quickwrite Responses satisfy the informal “writing to learn” component of the WAC requirements. The Formal Papers satisfy the formal “writing to communicate” component of the WAC requirements.

 

 

AGENDA

 

Session

Date

Topic

Reading

Assignment Due

1

January 7

Introduction To Class

None

None

2

14

Rural Policy Research And Development Targets

S&R, Chapters 1 & 2

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

3

21

Development Targets And Institutions

S&R, Chapters 3 & 4

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 1

4

28

Mobilizing Institutions For Development

S&R, Chapters 5 & 6

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 2

5

February 4

Standard Development Techniques

S&R, Chapters 7 & 8

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

6

11

Standard Development Techniques

S&R, Chapters 9 & 10

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 3

7

18

Targeting Special Opportunities For Development

S&R, Chapters 11 & 12

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 4

8

25

Paper Discussion

None

Paper 1, phase 5

9

March 4

Targeting Special Opportunities For Development

S&R, Chapters 13 & 14

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

10

11

Strategic Thinking For Rural Development

S&R, Chapters 15 & 16

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

11

25

Overview And Economics Of Electronic Commerce

M,E&K Chapters 1&2

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 1

12

April 1

Electronic Commerce Infrastructure

M,E&K Chapters 3&4

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 2

13

8

Infrastructure And Challenges For Government And Policy

M,E&K Chapters 5&6

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

14

15

Opportunities And Challenges For Government And Policy

M,E&K Chapters 7&8

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 3

15

22

Opportunities And Challenges For Government And Policy

M,E&K Chapters 9&10

Newspaper Journal

Quickwrite

Paper 1, phase 4

16

May 6

Final Examination: Paper Discussion

None

Paper 2, phase 5