There will be regular required reading assignments from the textbooks and supplemental articles made each week in class. Class discussions usually go into depth on a small number of issues from the text or current issues related to topics in the text. Much of the material in the text is not presented or discussed explicitly in class, so you need to do the readings in advance so you understand the concepts behind the issues we will discuss in class.  Not only does it do my heart good to see that you have done the readings, but it will enhance your understanding and possibly increase your interest and enjoyment of the class.

    QUIZZES

There will be a short quiz almost every week on the assigned readings.  The purpose of the quizzes is to demonstrate that you completed the readings so you should give answers that indicate you've read and analyzed what was assigned.

    WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

There will be frequent written homework assignments that involve responding to questions about the readings or investigating some topic presented in class. You may discuss the homework with other students, but you must create and submit your own work. Responses to questions must be typewritten. The spelling, punctuation and grammer must be correct.  Proofread your work and remember: making the instructor's job reading and grading your work is a good thing. Make it easy for me to give good grades!  Administrative note: always include a cover sheet (with anything you turn in to me) with your name, the date, the course and section number, and the assignment number or name.

    INDIVIDUAL TOPIC PRESENTATIONS

Each student will give an oral presentation to the class. On an assigned day you will bring to class two articles from current news media about the topic for the week. One article must present a "pro-technology" opinion of the topic and one must present an "anti-technology" view.  Each article should be about 1000 words in length or more.  Bring a copy of your articles for the instructor.  In your presentation you will summarize the articles, explain how the technology works, and explain the pro and con views. Your presentation should be no more than 20 minutes in duration, including time for questions.  Here are the evaluation criteria for presentations.

    WRITTEN EXAMINATIONS

There will be two in-class written examinations: one midterm and a final. The questions will be a combination of true/false, short answer and essay questions. Exam rules:  no headsets, no cell phones, no computers, no PDA's, restricted bathroom breaks. I post a practice midterm here for your review.  
I post part of sample answers to midterm essays here for your review.  

    GROUP PROJECTS

You will work with several other students to investigate a topic of current interest about computers in society and present the results of your explorations to the class. The presentation may be in the form of a debate, a mock meeting of company executives or government regulatory agency, an interview with an expert, a dramatic reenactment of an actual event, a music video, or other creative production to impress your audience with the relevance and importance of the issue and help them understand both the pro and con perspectives.  (Lectures and Power Point presentations are not allowed).  Presentations will be scheduled during the last week of class.  Follow these guidelines.

    EXTRA CREDIT

Consult with the instructor about extra credit opportunities.  Possibilites include keeping a journal or writing a term paper .  If you elect to work on such an extra credit activity, it must be arranged with the instructor by week5 of the term.  There will also be weekly opportunities to give a "mini-report."  Frequently during class discussions questions of fact will arise about which no one in class has accurate information. The instructor may ask for a volunteer to investigate the question and report the results at the next class meeting. 

Note that class participation is very important to a class like this.  Your participation is required and may make a difference in your grade if you do not participate at all, or if you make significant contributions to the class.

ALTERNATE GRADING SCHEMES
If you feel the above grading scheme will not provide the best assessment of your learning in the course, you may negotiate with the instructor for an alternate scheme. You must agree to an alternate scheme before the end of the second week of classes.

ATTENDANCE

Missed classes can not be "made up." If you are absent on the day you are scheduled to give a presentation, you get a zero  for that presentation.  You may obtain permission to be excused from class for valid academic or medical reasons, but it is your responsibility to secure permission from the instructor BEFORE the date you will be absent. The instructor may request appropriate documentation of your excuse.  The midterm and final examinations may only be taken during the scheduled exam period. The final exam is tentatively planned as a "take home" exam to be turned in at or before the scheduled exam period.

WRITING REQUIREMENTS and GRADING SYMBOLS

Follow these guidelines for written work.
 

LATE HOMEWORK

Late homework receives a penalty, it is up to the grader to determine the policy. Homework assignments, reading questions, etc., are due when class begins. "Late" means after the official class starting time. Electronic submission of assignments is not accepted. 

Equally important to managing your time, is that professionals are expected to behave responsibly. You can demonstrate responsible behavior in the following manner: If you anticipate illness, an academic burden, or other emergency will prevent you from submitting your assignment before the deadline, you may request an extension. Simply leave a message for me BEFORE class time asking for an extension of the due date. You may leave a message for me electronically, by voice mail, or in the department office. (Limit: 2 extensions).

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

This course involves both individual work and collaborative work. It is your responsibility to understand the guidelines that apply to each kind of work, and to be clear about which assignments are individual assignments and which are collaborative.

Individual Assignments

Homework assignments, topic presentations, and exams are individual efforts. You may verbally discuss the topics, questions, and solutions with other students unless specifically prohibited. However, any written work which you submit must be entirely your own. You may not "work together" on individual assignments.  Assignments which appear to be the result of a "group effort", or which appear to have been copied from another student, will be considered plagiarized. Violations of this policy may result in being failed from the course. See the campus statement on Academic Dishonesty: Cheating and Plagiarism ( Campus Admin. Manual section 684)  Also note that when incorporating the work of another person (a scholar, newspaper, another student...) into yours, proper citation and credit must be given to the source or that may be considered plagiarized.

Collaborative Assignments

The Group Project is a collaborative effort. Students are expected to work cooperatively to ensure an even distribution of work and to facilitate the overall success of the project. Ideally, each person will take responsibility for a clearly defined component of the finished product.  Wherever possible, each person's contributions should be documented in the credits page of each work product.  A single grade is awarded to everyone for the finished product.
 

COMPUTING POLICIES

A number of important class documents will be made available in electronic form (e.g. reading list, QA criteria). They can be accessed via a WWW browser through the 302 link from the instructor's home page. These files should be considered as evolving documents, as they will be refined and updated as the course proceeds. Each document will have a version date so that you can determine if you are reading the most recent version. It is your responsibility to be sure that you are working from the most current document.

Occasionally the instructor will mail announcements to the entire class by using an alias which sends mail to your OpenMail account. If you don't use OpenMail regularly, you should setup your OpenMail account to forward your mail to your regular email account.

The instructor will not read email whose "Sender" field is not an actual student name. Don't use nicknames in mail you send to the instructor or it will be returned to you unread.

Students are expected to learn and abide by the Campus computing and Communication Policies, Calif. state laws (see Penal Code Section 502), and federal laws.

CLASSROOM CLIMATE

The topics in this course are potentially controversial and students often hold diverse views.  It is a core value of academic discourse to be tolerant of views different than our own and to treat others with respect. 

In addition, an atmosphere conducive to learning can be fostered by minimizing distractions for others who are trying to  concentrate.  Common courtesies include:

• Arrive on time.  If you arrive late please enter quietly and take a seat in the row nearest the door.
• Don't use cell phones or pagers in class;  turn off any audible alarms.
• Only one person speaks at a time during discussions; no side conversations.
• Wait until class has been dismissed before packing up.

The use of audio-visual recording devices of any kind (camera, tape recorder, etc) are not allowed without the instructor's permission.

DROP/WITHDRAWAL POLICY

You may use CAPTURE to drop this course any time during the first two weeks of class. Please carefully evaluate your schedule and determine if you will remain in the class before the end of the add/drop period. After the drop date, the only way out of the course is called "withdrawing" from the course and is not in the purview of the instructor, it is subject to University Policy.

Document History
 

Date	Author	Change
Mar 05	CST	Revised for Spring 2005
9/19/04	JD	Document Released
10/4/04	JD	Updated Topic Presentation