• Tuesday (1:30-4:00)
• Wednesday (12:30-1:30)
• Thursday (2:30-4:00)

Nya Jackson and Annie Stickney:  Mason Topics Tutors
Office:  The Writing Center Robinson Hall A, room 114 (703) 993-1200
You can make appointments online at http://writingcenter.gmu.edu  You will have to register as clients in the system and then go the Mason Topics ONLY drop-down menu to schedule your appointments.

• Wednesdays 1:30-4:30 (Nya)
• Thursdays 12:30-3:30 (Annie)

Note: make sure to bring a print copy of your assignment, paper/draft and other materials you want to work on with you when you visit Mike, Nya or Annie.

In-class writing and blog posting on why you want to be an engineer and in what field.  Introduce yourself to the class on the blog and post a preliminary account of why you want to be an engineer and in what field.  If you are not currently planning on majoring in engineering, write about why are you interested in Engineering (i.e. taking this link) and whether there any particular kinds of Engineering you are interested in.  (Note:  this is one of a series of blog posting preparing you for your presentations in Engineering 107 on Sept 18th and 25th)

See the GMU library web guide on Engineering at http://library.gmu.edu/resources/engin/, especially the list of Professional Engineering Associations and Societies at
http://library.gmu.edu/resources/engin/societies.html 

After you register for the blog and I give you Write Permissions, you should do you initial draft using Word or an HTML editor.  Once I have given you permissions on the blog, you can transfer what you have and continue working.  The blog is at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/  The first time you go to the site you will need to register--unless you already have a WordPress account.   Use your GMU user name and write down your password (or use one you will remember).  Leave Gimme a blog unchecked for now.  Once you have registered, you should see a New Post link at the top of the page.  Give your post a title like "Why I want to be an engineer," and enter the text of your post in the box under Post.  Depending how quickly I can set up the categories, you should see a check box with your name under People at the top right of the Write page.  Check the box for your name before you click on Publish.  If I haven't set up a category for you yet, you will have to go back and edit your post and check the box for your name later. 

If the registration page does not appear when you click on the link above, the login link is at the lower right of the page under Meta.  Click on Login and then on Get a free WordPress account underneath the blue login screen.  Use your GMU user name and write down your password (or use one you will remember).  Leave Gimme a blog unchecked for now. You may want to begin your writing using an HTML editor or Word (saving the file as a web page ) until we see how the WordPress server is working.    

Mike Dupuy, a Systems Engineering major with excellent writing skills, will be present today to help with any technical problems.  He will be a Writing Fellow for the Engineering link and a Mason Topics tutor in the spring.  He will come to classes on Wed and hold office hours in The Writing Center to help you with writing and IT related writing issues.         

Before class, read section 1, Electrification, at the National Academy of Engineering's Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century website at http://www.greatachievements.org/.  Also look at  Invention Stories from the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/default_index.aspx

Write several paragraphs before class on what you consider the most important engineering achievements of the 19th and 20th centuries.  Post them to the class blog at  http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/.  Make sure to check the boxes on the posting page for your name and the assignment so your posts will be available through the category links on the right hand side of the page. 

During class, you will use the comment function to discuss in detail whether you agree with your fellow students' choices for the most important engineering achievements and why.  You will then respond to the comments on your posting.  Everything should be up in finished form by Friday at 5pm.   Make sure you cover the following in you comments: 1) whether you agree or disagree with the claim about the importance of the processes, devices or structures chosen; 2) whether there are any parts of the description (of the device and how it worked) and the need it met that you have trouble following; and 3) whether you can think of anything the author might add. 

Mike Dupuy, a Mason Topics tutor and Writing Fellow, will be available today to help with blogging problems and review postings.  Mike is a Systems Engineering major with excellent writing skills and special training as a writing tutor.  He will attend Wed classes throughout the semester and hold office hours to help you with your writing.  If you have any problems with your blog postings, he will be available during his office hours to help.   

Write several paragraphs before class evaluating yourself using the Engineering 107 Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric.  What is the mix of explorer, artist, judge and warrior in your personality and work style?  Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses wearing each of these hats.  What could you do to overcome weaknesses and build on your strengths?   (Note:  this is one of a series of blog posting preparing you for your presentations in Engineering 107 on Sept 18th and 25th) 

Post your essay to the class blog at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/.  Make sure to check the boxes on the posting page for your first name and last initial so your posts will appear on person links on the right hand side of the page.   Read and respond to at least two students posts.  You will use these posts in putting together your groups next week, so look carefully for students who have qualities that complement yours (i.e. if you are an artist, look for students who are explorers, judges or warriors).    

Mike Dupuy available to help with blogging problems and setting up Wetpaint Wiki

Cinema and Supper Showing of Edison:  Miracle of Light at the Eisenhower Multi Media Room, 7:00pm.  Attendance is required unless you have another class scheduled for that time.  In that case, we will work out an alternative assignment.  There will be free pizza and soda. 

Within two days of seeing the film, you are required to post a short response to the film on the class blog at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/   Describe in detail what you learned from the documentary, what interested you most in Edison’s story, and whether you thought the material was well presented.  In addition, include an account of the qualities from the Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric that you think apply to Edison and may account for his success as an inventor.       

Before class, read Empires of Light, pp. 17-49 (Endeavor to Make it Useful).  In-class group work on individuals, concepts and devices using the Wiki at
http://101-mta-f08.wetpaint.com/page/History+of+Electricity
The group site should be finished before class on Sept 22nd

After reviewing the blogs posting from Sept 3rd which used the Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric, form groups of four (some groups may have 3) for your wiki work in Engl101 and your Design Project in Engr107.  In forming your groups, look for individuals with complementary qualities, talents, strengths and weaknesses.  The more diverse the mix, the more likely it will be your group will do well, so take your selections seriously.   After today's class, you can find the group list for both the Engr107 Design Project and the Engl101 Wiki at
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/design-groups.htm  Also see the teamwork evaluation sheet at
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/teamwork-eval.pdf 

The following web sites may prove useful in doing the wiki assignment:  

• Web Guide on Engineering (GMU)
• IEEE Virtual Museum
• IEEE Socket to Me: How Electricity Came to Be
• All About Circuits (open source textbook)
• Lessons in Electric Circuits (open source textbook)
• Ohm's Law (NASA)  

Sept 11th--Last day to DROP with no tuition penalty; last day to ADD classes 

Group work on wiki pages on history of electricity during class.  Before next Wed's class, one representative of each group must meet with Mike Dupuy during his office hours to go over the writing and navigation of your group's intro page and subpages.   Mike's office is in Eisenhower, Room 129G
and his email is mdupuy at gmu.edu  His office hours are as follows:   

• Tuesday (1:30-4:00)
• Wednesday (12:30-1:30)
• Thursday (2:30-4:00)

Remember that we are using the wiki to encourage collaborative research and writing and to get you thinking about how to present information on the web in an accessible way.  Your entries should be technically credible but also explain the concepts, devices, etc. sufficiently so a non-specialist audience can understand them.  You also need to say why the people, concepts and devices you have chosen are important and have a group home page (using the blank group pages I created) that sets up the various entries and introduces the issues you are emphasizing.  You will also be evaluated in terms of how well you work together, with everyone doing their part in a well planned and coordinated effort.  Your grade for the project will be calculated by averaging your individual grade with your group's grade for the your overall effort.  

Read Empires of Light, pp.  51-85 (Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park).   I will discuss Edison using Paul Israel's Edison:  A Life of Invention (not assigned) and then go over the reading from Jill Jonnes with you in class.

History of electricity and Edison group work on Wiki

In-class group work and wiki posting on Edison and his career.  Start with the following sites as you do your research as well as your reading in Jonnes: 

• IEEE Virtual Museum on Edison (4 pages)
• IEEE Edison's Lighting System
• IEEE Light Bulbs
• Edison's Light Bulb Patent, 1879 (click on images)
• IEEE Pearl Street Station
• Website for Edison's Miracle of Light
• Edison Papers, Edison's Patents
• Edison National Historical Site
• Library of Congress, Inventing Entertainment (Motion Pictures and Sound Recordings of the Edison Companies)

Then put together an account of what you consider to be Edison's most important inventions (at least two) with a description of each and your group's view of why they were important.  Also discuss what qualities from the Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric apply to Edison and may account for his successes and/or failures as an inventor.  Post your group's report to the Wiki at
http://101-mta-f08.wetpaint.com/page/Edison  The group site should be finished before the film showing on Sept 24th

Also note that your last group wiki project on the history of electricity is due in final form today.  

Workshop on Edison papers with Mike Dupuy.  Bring a thesis statement, introductory paragraph, outline and list of specific resources you will use in developing your argument. 

In-class exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket

Sept 29th--Last day to DROP classes

Cinema and Supper Showing of Edison The Man at the Eisenhower Multi Media Room, 7:00pm.  There will be free pizza and soda.  Attendance is required unless you have another class scheduled for that time.  In that case, you will need to watch the film on your own and we will work out an alternative assignment. 

Within two days of seeing the film, you are required to post a short response to the film on the class blog at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/  Include in your posting a detailed account of how Edison is portrayed in the film and what personal and professional qualities are seen as essential to his success.  Also note any differences you see between Spencer Tracy's Edison and the way Jill Jonnes and others you have read present the inventor.  Finally, discuss how the process of discovery is represented in the film and how that differs from what you know about Edison’s methods from your reading. 

You will exchange and comment on each others' papers in class using an editing sheet I will provide.  You can hand in a revised version of the paper on Wed if you attend class today and have a fellow student edit your paper.  If you take this option, put your revised paper on top with a statement of what you changed, the editing sheet your fellow student filled out underneath that, and then the version of the paper you brought to class on Mon.  Secure the portfolio with a clip or put it in a folder.     

Before you write your paper, think about how Edison solved problems.  In your later career, employers will be as interested in your ability to solved problems as in what you know.  A key point here is how you formulate questions and set up problems to work on.  How did Edison define the problems he was working on?  Scholars like Paul Israel believe that Edison's capacity to see analogies and quickly visualize many possible solutions was a key element of his creativity.  Do you see evidence of that in Edison's work on the inventions you write about?  Also consider how Edison drew on the talents and skills of others and organized a fluid but disciplined workplace.  In American popular culture he is often seen as a folksy individualistic inventor, but as Paul Israel has argued, his success was closely tied to the fact that he developed the first corporate research lab in America.  

To see how your paper should look, check the sample papers in your spiral bound writing handbook on pp. 151-154.  The online version of Hacker's Research and Documentation Online is at http://dianahacker.com/resdoc/  For MLA, click on Humanities, Documenting Sources and Sample Papers.  For CSE (Biology and other Sciences) click on Sciences, Documenting Sources and Sample Papers.  This site is at the top of the list of online Resources on the syllabus along with Diana Hacker’s online exercises.

·         You should cite several sources in your paper including Jonnes’ Empire of Light.  Jonnes doesn’t cover everything Edison did and we’ve only read part of the text but you can look up subjects in the index to find other material you can use.  Because we are so used to computers and databases we often forget that the book is a sophisticated information management technology with several ways to find things.  

Begin in-class exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket.  Read Hacker, pp. 2-3 and begin exercises 1-1 to 1-3 (under clarity) online.  

Electronics test
Test grading:  70% of problem point value for the work, no steps skipped or assumed, state assumptions if you make any; 20% for the answer, but only if the work is there; 10% every number must show units throughout the solution. Partial credit possible if solution can be followed.  Extra credit problems worth 10 points.  Half off is not correct. 

Bring materials to work on design project after test

Read and take notes before the next class on
http://em-ntserver.unl.edu/NEGAHBAN/EM223/Intro.htm
Vectors, vector components 2D, equilibrium equations of a particle, moment of a force part 1
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Statics
Rigid body equilibrium, two dimensional equilibrium 

Begin workshops on design project.  Start posting your plans and ideas on your groups' Design Project pages on the class Wiki including the names of those in your group, your schedule for completing the work, and a tentative list of who will be working on what.  Also include your schedule for meeting with Mike Dupuy (names, dates and times).  You will sign up for tutoring with Mike today.  Each group will be split in half for visits to Mike to go over the writing component of the Design Project. We will schedule these required meetings on Thurs 10/2 (2:30-4pm), Tues 10/7 (1:30-4pm), Wed 10/8 (12:30-1:30pm), and Thurs 10/9 (2:30-4pm). 

To prepare for later stages in the design project, you should look carefully at the final report rubric and teamwork evaluation sheet at:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/final-report-rubric.pdf and  
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/teamwork-eval.pdf 

See the following site as you formulate your plans: 
Engineering at How Stuff Works
as well as the Smithsonian's Doodles, Drafts and Designs:  Industrial Drawings from the Smithsonian at http://www.sil.si.edu/exhibitions/doodles/index.htm

Review Hacker, pp. 2-3 and complete grammar exercises 1-1 to 1-3 (under clarity) at http://dianahacker.com/pocket before the next class

In-class showing of Electric Nation (PBS 2002, 60 min).  Within two days of seeing the documentary, you are required to post a short response to the class blog at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/ using prompt 12 

You will meet in your design project groups for the last 15 minutes of class  

Introduce Statics
Statics problems due 10/16

Preliminary Report Due. 

This is the first part of final report, up to results.  In your Final Report, due on Nov 13th, you will add additional sections.  You will demonstrate your device the week before, on Nov 6th. 

Continue posting your plans and ideas on your groups' Design Project pages on the class Wiki.  By the end of class all groups should have a revised draft of your Preliminary Report up on the wiki.  Mike Dupuy and I will work with you on the reports.  The Design Project report due Oct 9th should be in coherent paragraphs (not just a list).  Bring one copy to Engineering 107 on Thurs and put one in my box to the left of Enterprise 345 before your 4:30 class. 

To prepare for later stages in the design project, you should look carefully at the final report rubric and teamwork evaluation sheet at:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/final-report-rubric.pdf and  
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/teamwork-eval.pdf 

While the class is working on the design project, I will meet with you individually to talk about your Edison papers

Sign up for optional Tesla paper tutoring with Mike Dupuy.  Email Mike at mdupuy AT gmu.edu to confirm your appointment.  Indicate in your email what assignment and issues you want to work on with him.  If you have signed up for tutoring with Mike Dupuy in advance and brought a 2-3 page draft to the session as well as a list of issues you want to work on, you can hand in the paper by Fri 10-24 by 5pm in my box on the left of my office door (Enterprise 345)   

Cinema and Supper Showing of Tesla:  Master of Lighting at the Eisenhower Multi Media Room, 7:00pm.  There will be free pizza and soda.  Attendance is required unless you have another class scheduled for that time.  In that case, you will need to watch the film on your own and we will work out an alternative assignment. 

By Sat at 5pm, you are required to post a short individual response to film on the class blog at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/   Include in your posting a detailed account of Tesla's history and the personal and professional qualities that contributed to his successes and failures.  Also compare his working methods to those of Edison and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of each.  

Read Empires of Light, pp. 87-115 (Nikola Tesla:  Our Parisian). 

Group work and Wiki posting on Tesla and his career.  Start with the following sites as you do your research: 

• IEEE Virtual Museum on Tesla 
• PBS Tesla Master of Lightening 
• Tesla Memorial Society Links
• Tesla Writings at TFC Books   
• My Inventions -Tesla Autobiography

Then put together an account of what you consider to be Tesla's most important inventions (at least two) with a description of each and your group's view of why they were important.  Also discuss what qualities from the Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric apply to Tesla and may account for his successes and/or failures as an inventor.  Post your group's report to the Wiki at  http://101-mta-f08.wetpaint.com/page/Tesla  You should be able to finish much of this work in class, but you have until Sat by 5pm if you need more time to finish your group wiki report on Tesla (that's also the due date for your individual blog response to Tesla:  Master of Lightening)

COLUMBUS DAY,  MON CLASSES MEET TUES OCT 14TH
No Tues classes

Statics

Statics problems due 10/23

In-class work on drafts of your Tesla paper while I have individual conferences.  Come to class with a plan for the paper and notes from Jonnes and the Tesla websites listed above.  Remember the optional Tesla paper tutoring with Mike Dupuy.  Email Mike at mdupuy AT gmu.edu to confirm your appointment.  Indicate in your email what assignment and issues you want to work on with him.  If you have signed up for tutoring with Mike Dupuy in advance and brought a 2-3 page draft to the session as well as a list of issues you want to work on, you can hand in the paper by Fri 10-24 by 5pm in my box on the left of my office door (Enterprise 345)       

Review of MLA documentation, particularly how to use the drop-down menus on Hacker's online site. 

Oct 17th--Mid-term progress report

Write a 4+ page paper (typed and double spaced) on what you consider we Tesla's most important inventions and the methods he used to develop them.  For each invention, describe the problem it addressed and/or the need it met, the alternatives available at the time (if any), the basic design of the device, and why Tesla's was (or was not) the best solution to the problem.  Then make a detailed argument for why the inventions you chose are important.  Also review the Engineering 107 Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric and include in your account the qualities in Tesla you consider most important for his successes and/or failures.  Make sure to cite sources including Jonnes.  If you have signed up for tutoring with Mike Dupuy in advance and brought a 2-3 page draft to the session as well as a list of issues you want to work on, you can hand in the paper by Fri 10-24 by 5pm in my box on the left of my office door (Enterprise 345)   

Before you write your paper, think about how Tesla solved problems.  In your later career, employers will be as interested in your ability to solved problems as in what you know.  Tesla was much less methodical than Edison and sometimes saw his designs in a kind of vision, as with the AC induction motor.    Is this a model you can see following in your own career?  What role did Westinghouse play in bringing Tesla's ideas to fruition?  Does the Engineering 107 Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric provide the terms through which we can understand their partnership? 

Bring your copy of Hacker's Pocket Style Manual to class.  This week we will work on sentence variety, run-ons, and fragments.  Read Hacker pp. 14-15 (choppy sentences); pp. 42-44 (sentence fragments); and pp. 44-47 (run-on sentences).  Then do exercises 8-1 and 8-2 (choppiness) under Clarity; 14-1, 14-2, and 14-3 (fragments) and 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3 (run-ons) under Grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket  

Statics

Work on Design Project

Required workshop on your Tesla papers.  Bring your drafts, notes and other materials to class.  I will bring copies of several books by or about Tesla you can use during our session.   

If you decided to hand in your final Tesla paper on Mon, read Hacker pp. 14-15 (choppy sentences); pp. 42-44 (sentence fragments); and pp. 44-47 (run-on sentences).  Then do exercises 8-1 and 8-2 (choppiness) under Clarity; 14-1, 14-2, and 14-3 (fragments) and 15-1, 15-2, and 15-3 (run-ons) under Grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket    

Oct 27th--Incomplete work from spring/summer 2008 due

Fri
Oct 24

If you met with Mike Dupuy or I, you can have till Fri, Oct 24th, at 5pm to hand in your 4+ page paper on Tesla. Staple your revision on top of your draft and add a typed note on what you went over in your tutoring session, what you changed, and why.  Put the paper and in my box to the left of my door (Enterprise 345) by 5pm on 10-24. 

Read Empires of Light, pp.  117-139 (George Westinghouse).  Review pp. 123 and 130-132 especially carefully.  Then post to the blog (before class) an account of how transformers work.  During class you will use the blog's comment function to vote on:  1) which account is the most technically correct and comprehensive; 2) which account is the most accessible and understandable to non-engineers; and 3) which account is the best mix of the two. 

For Mon Nov 3rd, you will write a 4 page (typed and double spaced) account of how transformers work.  You will discuss Faraday's contribution, explain why transformers work only with AC current, indicate Westinghouse's contribution to transformer design, and explain why transformers are so important for long distance power generation.  This paper does not require a thesis that ties everything together but an extra credit follow-up paper due on Friday Nov 21st at 5pm will.   

You will exchange papers in class and fill out the editing sheet at 
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/tesla-edit-1.doc 

For some future assignments, you will need to use the printers outside the lab on the third floor of Innovation Hall.  To print in-class writing, you will need to add money to your Mason ID card for printing by going to http://masonmoney.gmu.edu and clicking on the link “Buy Online.” On the next page, click “Deposit Online Now” at the top. On the next page that opens, enter your G number and your pin. If you have never used the site before, your pin is 1111. You can then use a credit card to add Mason Money to your ID.  

Statistics test
Same format and grading as electronics test
(notes allowed)

Work on Design Project

Group work and Wiki posting on Westinghouse.  Start with the following sites as you do your research: 

• How Westinghouse Changed the World (summary of article from Mechanical Engineering Magazine)
• IEEE Virtual Museum on Westinghouse
• The Westinghouse World (Library of Congress)
• Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co (LOC)
• Westinghouse Projects (LOC)
• Learning Page on Westinghouse films (LOC)
• Westinghouse films index (LOC)
• Westinghouse and his patents (Wikipedia)

Then put together an account of what you consider to be Westinghouse's most important contributions to the history of technology (at least two) with a description of each and your group's view of why they were important.  Also review the Engineering 107 Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric and include in your account the qualities in Westinghouse you consider most important for his success.  Post your group's report to the Wiki at 
http://101-mta-f08.wetpaint.com/page/Westinghouse    

Required blog posting by the Mon after your visit at http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/  Write about what you saw on the tour, what was most interesting about the facility, what jobs and internships are available at Micron, what Engineering fields are represented, whether you would want to work there, and what you would need to do to prepare for such employment.  

In-class reading and exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket  Read the following pages in your spiral handbook and do the associated exercises on the website.  If we do not finish the exercises in class, you are responsible for doing them on your own.   

• Active Verbs, pp. 3-5 and exercises 2-1 to 2-3 under clarity
• Shifts in Point of View, pp. 8-9 and exercises 5-1 to 5-4 under clarity

After my lecture in class on early digital computers (ENIAC, EDVAC and UNIVAC) and the role of Presper Eckert, John Mauchly and John von Neumann in their development, we will look at a short video on mercury delay line memory and von Neumann's First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC. 

You should then post  to the blog an entry explaining how Delay Line memory and Dynamic Random Access Memory work and how they differ.  Some of the first computers, like the EDVAC and the UNIVAC, used the former.  What are some of the uses for DRAM today?  Once you have visited Micron add an account of the manufacturing process you saw on the tour (see prompt 10b) 

You can work in your groups for the last few minutes of class on your design project.   

Project Demonstration.  Each group will build its device and run it; the demonstrations may take place in Eisenhower.  You will need to do trial runs before class so you can supply test data.    

Work on Report 

Finish Final Report. Define Ethics for submittal. Due 11/13

Write a 4 page (typed and double spaced) page account of how transformers work and Westinghouse's contribution to their development.  There are several sections of the assignment but you are not required (as in the Edison and Tesla papers) to tie them together with a thesis.  That will come in an optional extra-credit revision due Nov 21^st.  In this paper, you should discuss Faraday's contribution, explain why transformers work only with AC current, indicate Westinghouse's contribution to transformer design, and explain why transformers are so important for long distance power generation.  Also review the Engineering 107 Hats of the Problem-Solver rubric and include in your account the qualities in Westinghouse you consider most important for his successes and/or failures (you can discuss Westinghouse’s qualities without the Hats rubric).  Make sure to cite sources including Jonnes.  (Note again:  this paper does not require a thesis that ties everything together but an extra credit follow-up paper due on Friday Nov 21st at 5pm will.) 

In-class exchange of papers and use of editing sheet.   You can either hand in the paper today or revise it by Fri at 5pm.  If you take this option, put the paper in my box to the left of my office door (Enterprise 345).  Make sure to attach the editing sheet your fellow student filled out,  a typed account of what you changed and why, and today's version if you revise the paper.  I will return both your Westinghouse and Tesla papers next week so you can start planning possible revisions.   

To print the editing sheet you will need to add money to your Mason ID card for printing by going to http://masonmoney.gmu.edu and clicking on the link “Buy Online.” On the next page, click “Deposit Online Now” at the top. On the next page that opens, enter your G number and your pin. If you have never used the site before, your pin is 1111. You can then use a credit card to add Mason Money to your ID.    

Workshop on final design project.  Bring all files and portable materials to class.  Space permitting, you will have 20 minutes to work on your device and plan for writing up your data and preliminary analysis of your results.  Your final report is due on Nov 13th.  Mike Dupuy and Dr. Thompson will work with each group individually on your presentation.     

Look carefully at the final report rubric and teamwork evaluation sheet at:
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/final-report-rubric.pdf and  
http://mason.gmu.edu/~kthomps4/101-mta-f08/teamwork-eval.pdf 

Read Empires of Light, pp.  141-163 and 179-183 (Edison Declares War; Constant Danger).  Then review carefully pp. 153-163 and post to the blog before class an account of Tesla's lecture to the American Institute of Electrical Engineers in 1888 (prompt 15).  Make sure you explain the importance of polyphase AC in Tesla's induction motor.  Also indicate why Westinghouse purchased Tesla's patents and difficulties Tesla had working with Westinghouse Engineers and commercializing his design.  

During class you will use the blog's comment function to vote on:  1) which account is the most technically correct and comprehensive; 2) which account is the most accessible and understandable to non-engineers; and 3) which account is the best mix of the two.   

In-class exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket

Ethics as critical thinking. 
Real world test cases using 4 Corner activity.  For each scenario, do you agree strongly, agree mildly, disagree mildly, disagree strongly (Ford, Edison etc. as examples).    

Project Final Report due

Compare and contrast two professional societies codes of ethics in detail for submittal.  What do they address?  What do they avoid addressing?  Do you think each is effective?  Should they address any other topics?  Do the actions of Edison and/or Westinghouse contradict the codes of ethics that you evaluated?  Be prepared to discuss. DUE Nov 20th in written form. 

Writing workshop on final design project report due Thurs.  Bring all your files, previous reports and data to class.  On Thurs before Engineering drop off one copy of your final report at Dr. Thompson's box to the left of his office (345 Enterprise).  Bring the other copy to Engr107.   Mike Dupuy and Dr. Thompson will work with each group individually on the writing component of your Final Report.  We will be asking questions to help you organize and clarify your points but cannot provide answers.  You will have run your device several times by this point and will have most of the data and analysis you need, although your formulations may still need work.        

In-class exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket

Read Empires of Light, pp. 165-179 (Constant Danger from Sudden Death).  In-class discussion and blog posting on Brown's role in Edison's public relations campaign against AC.   You can find the class blog at  http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/  

In-class exercises on clarity and grammar at http://dianahacker.com/pocket

Read Empires of Light, pp.  198-204 (the PR struggle over the electrocution of a Western Union lineman in The Horrible Experiment).  Imagine you are either Edison or Westinghouse (or one of their allies) and enter a post to the class blog in the form of a letter to one of the New York papers on the Western Union lineman case and the safety of AC and DC.  You can find the class blog at  http://101mtaf08.wordpress.com/  

Extra Credit blog assignment:  We have discussed whether Edison's involvement in the debates about capital punishment ethical or unethical.  Now use the case as an example to discuss whether good business practices always involve ethical behavior.  Do you think the kind of tactics Edison used are ever justified in modern business?  The extra credit posting is due before class on Mon Dec 1st.        

For your final exam, you will write a 4 page (typed and double spaced) revision of your letter to the New York papers on the Western Union lineman case and the safety of AC and DC.  You can submit the final paper (bring a print copy to my office box outside Enterprise 345 and email me an electronic copy) anytime after Wed Dec 10th and before Mon Dec 15th at 5pm). 

Review for Final Exam

We will watch selections from the documentary on Westinghouse released by Inecom in 2008 to set up the extra credit rewrite due Dec 12th.  It's essential that you come to class so we can go over this and other upcoming assignments and so you can fill out several survey's on this semester's class. 

DEC 6 LAST DAY OF CLASSES;
EXAM PERIOD DEC 9-17

Mon Dec 15

For your final exam, you will write a 4 page (typed and double spaced) revision of your letter to the New York papers on the Western Union lineman case and the safety of AC and DC.  You can submit the paper (bring a print copy to my office and email me an electronic copy) anytime after Mon Dec 10th and before Mon Dec 15th at 5pm). 

ENGR 107 Final Exam
Thurs Dec 11th 4:30-7:10pm
Robinson B220