CS
349 Contemporary Issues in Computer Science
Alan Cline
This class
satisfies the University’s requirements for the writing flag. The goal of this requirement is to
assure that students learn not just the content of the areas they choose to
study but also the communication skills that are required to share what they
know with others. In the Internet
age, these skills include more than just writing. They include using graphics, video and
sound in ways that that are suitable for publication on the Web.
A major part
(53% of the grade) in this class will be the completion of a term project. During the first few weeks of class, we
will survey the topics that we will be discussing during the semester. We’ll briefly mention ethical
theories, privacy, intellectual property, free speech on the internet, risk,
security and hacking, the digital divide, and the future impact of technology
on the job market, among other things. Any of these areas can serve as the
basis for your project.
Your project
will be submitted in two parts:
·
A
paper of at least 4,000 words.
·
A
short video (2 to 5 minutes long).
You may work
alone or in teams of up to three people.
The word and minute counts shown above are per person, so a team of n people should produce a project n times the size of an individual
one. If you do work in a group,
each person must contribute substantially to both the paper and the video. We will ask each group member to submit
a statement that describes his/her contribution to the joint effort.
More about the Videos:
For many of
you, this will be your first experience at producing a video. You may find it stressful but our
experience has been that, by the end of the semester, students are really glad
that they had the experience.
As
you’re working on your video, you’ll have access to cameras and an
editing lab:
·
You
can check out camera kits at the Fine Arts Library.
·
You
can use the editing lab (in GSB 2.130) provided by Digital Media Services. You will be able to get some help in the
lab when you need it.
Of course,
the first step will be to learn how to use both the cameras and the editing
software:
·
For
the cameras, DMA suggests that you go to the following page to find useful
videos:
http://www.utexas.edu/academic/ctl/dms/Training.php
The
videos are under the heading ‘Basics of Video Production’ at the
bottom of the page. The one that everyone should watch is the
‘quick introductory video’. The videos below that go into
more depth.
·
For
the video editing software, we’ll have sessions in the lab during regular
class time on February 15 and 17.
Your video
can be a documentary or a drama.
Many good documentaries rely heavily on interviews. You may be able to find experts who are
willing to talk to you. Don’t
be bashful. It never hurts to
ask. You may also find it
interesting to conduct “man in the street” interviews to convey a
sense of public attitude toward your topic. Remember that, if you conduct
interviews, you should be sure to get permission from your interviewees before
you distribute your video or post it on the web. You should also send a copy of your
completed video to anyone you interviewed.
Your video
may include images and clips, if properly cited, taken from other
people’s work. But at least 70% of your video must be original.
Schedule:
There are
several project milestones, spread out over the semester. See http://www.cs.utexas.edu/users/ear/cs349/Syllabus.html
for specific dates.
|
Media lab
training |
|
Initial
discussion about topics |
|
Outline (of
both paper and video)
(See Note 1 for details.) |
|
First draft
of paper (at least 1,000 words) (See Note 2 for details.) |
|
Written
video progress report (less than one page) (See Note 3 for details.) |
|
Final video
turned in |
|
Final paper
turned in |
The paper
first drafts that you turn in will be reviewed by our TAs. We will also swap the papers and ask
each of you to read someone else’s paper and provide feedback on it.
We will spend
the last three weeks of class watching everyone’s videos. You’ll be expected offer a short
introduction to your video and then to host a short discussion after we watch
it.
Note 1: You should turn in four things: (1) A
statement of the thesis of your paper.
This can be short. One
sentence may suffice. It should
take no more than a paragraph. (2)
An outline of your paper. It should
be at least a page. More is
okay. In fact, if you have written
any of your paper, you may include the written sections, leaving the unwritten
sections in outline form. We want
to see that you’ve begun to think about exactly what your topic is and
how you will present it. (3) A list
of sources. It needn’t be
complete, but we want to see that you’ve begun to do research. (4) An outline of your video. It may be as little as half a page. We want to see that you have the
beginning of a plan. Clearly
indicate whether you’ll be doing a documentary, a mockumentary, or a
drama. If you are planning to do
interviews, indicate who your interviewee(s) will be.
Note 2: You should turn in a draft that
contains some complete paragraphs.
In particular, you should have written your topic paragraph and your
concluding paragraph. We want to
see at least 1000 words. The parts
of your paper that are not written yet should appear in outline form so that we
can see the flow of the entire paper.
You should bring two copies of your draft. You’ll give us one. The other you’ll swap with someone
else so that you can get additional feedback.
Note 3: You should do two things: (1) Revise
the outline that you submitted earlier if you have made changes to it. (2) Annotate the outline to show your
progress. Indicate the parts that
you have filmed, the parts that you have edited, and the parts that you still
need to work on. If there are
issues, like trying to track down interviewees, indicate what they are.
Grading:
We have
posted the evaluation sheets that
we will use in grading both papers and videos.