CS 329E Elements of Computing in Society
Elaine Rich
Fall, 2010

This class carries the University’s 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.

A major part (44% 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 3,000 words.

· A short class presentation.

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.

Schedule:

You will present your project to the class at some point during the last five weeks of the semester. The final draft of your paper will be due on the last class day of the semester. But there are several intermediate deadlines. Make sure to check the class schedule to see what they are.

The paper first drafts that you turn in will be reviewed by our TA. We will also swap the papers and ask each of you to read someone else’s paper and provide feedback on it.

Grading:

We have posted the evaluation sheets that we will use in grading your papers.