Syllabus Fall 2010

Course Description

This course provides a unified introduction to the information sciences and their impact on society. Skills, knowledge, and values relevant to the information sciences are explored in various contexts, including business, non-profits, service organizations, education, and society at large. Required for Computer Science majors; also meets General Education Mathematical Science requirement. (Offered Fall semester) Topics include:

Corequisites
None, though COSC 181 or COSC 191 would be excellent as concurrent or subsequent courses.
Textbook:
Quinn, M. J. (2010). Ethics for the information age, 4th edition. Boston: Addison-Wesley ISBN 978-0132133876.
 

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. summarize the past, present, and projected future of key areas of Computer Science and Information Systems.
  2. summarize basic moral and ethical issues in Computer and Information Sciences.
  3. articulate connections between those moral/ethical issues and their own faith, as well as other Christian faith traditions.
  4. explain similarities and differences among computer science, business information systems, and computer engineering, both in terms of MC curriculum and in terms of career paths.
  5. work collaboratively in small groups, applying basic conceptual tools to solve a variety of problems.

Grading

A ≥ 93
A- ≥ 90
B+ ≥ 87
B ≥ 83
B- ≥ 80
C+ ≥ 77
C ≥ 73
C- ≥ 70
D+ ≥ 67
D ≥ 60
F < 60

Quizzes

There will be frequent quizzes covering the material presented and discussed in class and in the class readings. No make-up quizzes will be given except in cases of verified, documented emergencies; and then only if you have made arrangements in advance.

Participation

A significant portion of your grade will be based on how you contribute to the class activities.

Excellent Acceptable Unacceptable
volunteers frequently; always ready to participate volunteers occasionally; answers when called upon seldom volunteers; unable to answer when called on
draws others into conversation participates in conversation monopolizes conversation
pays attention to peers and responds interactively pays attention to peers talks, reads, texts, or plays games while others are talking
respectfully expresses agreement and disagreement; asks for and provides clarification expresses opinions relevant to current conversation off topic or unengaged

Assignments

There will be daily reading assignments and frequent written assignments. Reading assignments must be completed before class time. Written assignments must be submitted before class time. If you miss this deadline, it is always still worthwhile for your to complete the work, but you will not receive credit for that particular assignment. Please don't try to complete assignments during class time.

Expectations

Attendance

Regular attendance and active participation is crucial to your success in this class. In part, this is because we will devote the majority of the class time to the most important and challenging course topics. The best way to master the material is in the context of a learning community — interacting with peers and with the instructor on a regular basis. Sometimes you will find you can contribute to the collective understanding; sometimes you will benefit from what others have to share. In your education at Messiah College, you should aspire to more than mere technical mastery of the material. If you miss class for any reason, speak to a fellow student to find out what was covered in class that day. Participation refers to factors such as timeliness, attitude, engagement, initiative, collaboration, and attentiveness. Preparation refers to completion of reading and other assignments before class on the day they are due.

Timeliness

All assignments must be completed and submitted before the due date. Any student who falls behind in reading or other assignments can no longer actively participate in the daily learning activities of the course, to the detriment of everyone. To make allowance for unforseen circumstances, each student may submit up to three assignments late during the semester, with the following penalties: within the first 24 hours after the due date, a 10% reduction in points; within the next 24 hours, with a 25% reduction in points. After 48 hours, no assignments will be accepted. Once a student has received credit for three late assignments, no further late assignments can be submitted.

Communication

Messiah College email will be used for official communication relating to the class. In order to avoid missing important messages, please check your Messiah email at least once a day Monday-Friday. Any email you send me MUST have a subject line that identifies the course and the specific subject of your inquiry (examples: "COSC382 syntax homework due 10/5," "COSC180 question on class lecture for 9/22," "COSC418 absence on 11/5 due to family emergency") Email sent without a subject line or with a generic subject line will be treated as SPAM (examples: "today's homework," "question for you," "missing class").

Assignments

All assignments are to be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided. Assignments that call for electronic copies must submitted be via Sakai -- no emailed work will be accepted. Assignments that call for hard copies must be submitted at the beginning of class on the due date -- after class begins, no work will be accepted.

Collaboration

In general, it is a good idea to complete learning activities with other students. Unless I specify otherwise, you are encouraged to work collaboratively, with the following provisions: (1) share ideas and thought processes, but not answers; (2) turn in your own individual submission; (3) indicate any such collaboration. Unless explicitly instructed to, NEVER SHARE CODE with another student, even after you have completed the class. Doing so is a violation of academic integrity, and could result in severe penalties, both to the other student and to you EVEN AFTER YOU'VE COMPLETED THE CLASS.

When collaboration is explicitly called for, each student will be asked to evaluate the participation of her/his peers. Make sure your contribution to the project is sufficient.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is taken very seriously. Violations will result in severe consequences, including failing the course. For a complete policy, see the current Student Handbook. Violations include (but are not limited to):

Plagiarism: Examples: failing to cite a reference, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, misrepresenting another’s work as your own.

Cheating: Attempting to use or using unauthorized material or study aids for personal assistance in examinations or other academic work. Examples: using a cheat sheet, altering a graded exam, looking at a peer’s exam.

Fabrication: Submitting altered or contrived information. Examples: falsifying sources and/or data, etc.

Facilitating Academic Dishonesty: Examples: working together on an assignment where collaboration is not allowed, doing work for another student, allowing one’s own work to be copied.

ADA

Messiah College welcomes students with disabilities. If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss needed academic accommodations for this specific course, please speak with the instructor within the first week of class (or within the first week following the documentation of your disability). Campus policy states that disability accommodations must be pre-approved through the Office of Disability Services, located in Hoffman 101/102 (extension 5382).

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