CS4001c

Syllabus

Course Objectives

• This course is primarily built around reading and writing assignments and class discussions, including formal debates. Substantial practice of oral and written communication skills is a fundamental aspect of the course.
Topics under discussion:
• Techniques of Rhetoric and Logical Argumentation
• Impact of Computing on Society, Individuals and Organizations.
• Ethical Foundations
• Governance and Regulation
• Free Speech and Content Constraints
• Intellectual Property
• Privacy
• Security & Hacking
• Professional Responsibility

Textbooks

• ETHICS: Quinn, Michael J, "Ethics for the Information Age" 3rd Edition, Addison-Wesley, 2009 ISBN: 978-0321536853 (REQUIRED)
• WACE: Ramage, John, D., John C. Bean and June Johnson "Writing Arguments: A Rhetoric with Readings, Concise Edition" 4th Edition, 2004. ISBN: 978-0321412898 (REQUIRED)

Lecture

• M, W, F :: 3:05 pm - 3:55 pm :: KACB 1447
• Final Period: Tuesday April 28th 11:30am-2:20pm

Grading Policies

There is no curve in this course. The grading breakdown is as follows:

• Attendance: 10%
• Book Review / Reflection: 10%
• Exams: 25%
• Final Paper & Presentation: 30%
• Homework: 15%
• Participation: 10%

Attendance Policy: You will begin the class with a 106% grade in the attendance category. Every day you do not attend class your attendance grade will drop by 2%. This means that you can skip any 3 days of your choosing while maintaining a perfect 100% score in the attendance category. (Or, you may maintain perfect attendance and take the 6% extra credit.) If you have a Dean of Students excused absence it will not count against your attendance grade. It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet before it is collected.

Timely handling of grade disputes: Disputes of grading on assignments, exams, etc must be discussed within one week of their return or posting. Should you find yourself having an issue with a grade, contact the grading TA. After you talk with your TA, if you are not satisfied you may contact the course instructor.

Late Work and Missed Exam Policy: Assignments are due before the date and time indicated. Assignments will be accepted up to one school day late, but late assignments will have their score reduced by 20%. Assignments later than 1 school day will receive no credit. There are no makeups for missed exams. Any request for exceptions to this policy should be made in advance when at all possible.

Email Policy for this Course

Please try to use your official Georgia Tech email when sending email to us. Please attach [cs4001] to the beginning of the subject of your email! Please also indicate who you are within your email. :)

Assignment Submission

Almost all assignments will be submitted as physical printouts in class. Assignments turned in electronically should be submitted using PDF. Do NOT submit .doc, .docx, .txt. .odt, etc. In general, assignments should be written in 12 pt, Times-Roman font (or similar) and double spaced. Electronic assignments will be submitted through T-Square in the "Assignments" tab, and hard-copy assignments will be handed in at the beginning of class. Emailing your assignments to the instructor or TA is unacceptable. We will also make use of the "Resources" tab as a repository for useful documents and readings. Pertinent features will be demonstrated in class during the first and second weeks.

Access T-Square at https://t-square.gatech.edu/

Assignments & Collaboration

Include a header at the top of each file you turn in detailing the following information:

• Your name
• Your gt email address
• The name or assignment number
• The names of any classmates you collaborated with

Plagiarism is the "use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work." [Wikipedia] and is considered academic dishonesty and an honor code violation.

Keep in mind that you are allowed to work with other students currently in CS4001. Do give credit though by listing your group collaborators and citing others work when appropriate.

Participation

Discovery does not arise from instruction but from personal engagement with the controversies and potentials of a computerized society. In this class, engagement will take several forms.

• You will be expected to read and interpret the articles in the books and the current awareness articles for yourself and others.
• You will be expected to present and persuasively defend your positions on controversial topics both orally and in writing.
• You will be expected to critique the perspectives / opinions of both authors and classmates in discussions and position papers.
• On any given day, you may be asked to summarize and critique readings from the book or elsewhere for the class. On such occasions, you are invited to refer to notes you've made in response to the readings.
• Periodically, short reading tests will be administered via T-Square. After you finish each reading, you should check T-square for a reading test. They will be posted at least 24 hours before the reading "due" date, and will be due before class on the day the reading is listed on the calendar.

Term paper

A term paper will account for a significant portion of your grade. It is not possible to pass this class without submitting a term paper. These papers will be on a topic of your choice and will require a significant amount of research. We will discuss this requirement in detail during class. Your term paper is an opportunity to:

• Explore an issue in depth.
• Take a position on that issue.
• Clearly and logically support that issue using the ideas from WACE.

Your target audience for the paper is the educated professional who is familiar with computers (as a user) and what is going on in the world, but is not a computer scientist. That's whom you want to convince that your position is correct. There are five steps in your term paper project:

• Topic proposal
• Outline or draft
• List of references
• Peer review/critique
• Completed paper

For due dates, consult your class schedule or T-Square.

Course Expectations

1. Lecture attendance is required.
2. Keep up with the reading. Readings should be completed before class on the date indicated on the Calendar.
3. Use the course t-square forum wisely to have discussions about course material with your classmates and the TAs. You are expected to follow good forum etiquette.
4. Take responsibility for your course work submissions; it is your job to make sure that you successfully turned in what you meant to turn in. Be sure to verify your submission. This is how you make sure that you get credit for the work you do.
5. Be prepared when you go to get help from a TA or your instructor. Bring your work with you.
6. Take initiative. Begin your assignments early and if you think you need help, come prepared. Use the resources that are provided for you, and be determined to succeed from the start.
7. Read, understand, and follow the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code

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