Date: Wed, 20 Nov 1996 21:55:48 GMT Server: Apache/1.0.5 Content-type: text/html Content-length: 9249 Last-modified: Fri, 02 Aug 1996 06:56:11 GMT
Section 2: 3:00 PM - 133 TMCB
Section 3: Tue/Thur 9:00 AM - 133 TMCB
Section 4: 2:00 PM - 235 SWKT
Professor: Dr. Lynn McClurg 2248 TMCB ext. 8-3222(PhoneMail)
Office hours: Mon/Wed/Tue/Thur/11:20 - Noon, Other times by appointment.
Course Description: A seminar in which the impact of computer technology, information systems in society and the associated ethical questions are written about and discussed.
Pre-requisites: English 316, Junior Standing.
1. To provide an opportunity to write about and discuss matters that will have a significant impact on your future professional life.
2. To build your confidence in your ability to converse with people concerning technical issues and ethics in the information systems environment.
3. To demonstrate your ability to analyze and write about and discuss the issues and problems facing your chosen profession.
4. Develop and justify your own personal professional code of ethics.
5. To become sensitive to keeping abreast of major new developments in Information Systems and in broadening your perception of your field.
Seminar Activities:
1. All reading assignments should be completed before the class period in which the assignment is to be discussed. This will be a prudent practice since a major part of your grade will be based on participation in seminar discussions. I have no preconceived grade distribution. It is possible for everyone in the class to get an 'A' grade. The process for doing well is spelled out here in detail. I only care that there is a fair effort given for what ever grade is received. Fair effort means that in a 3 credit hour course meeting 2 times a week one should expect to put in at least three hours of preparation for each meeting period in order to do well. Since much of the preparation is reading, the time required will be more for those without rapid reading skills.
2. Write a discovery paper about one page in length covering each reading assignment. These papers will indicate what you discovered in the reading assignment or within your self as illuminated by the reading assignment. It is not intended this be a mere summarization of the articles but a thoughtful analysis of ideas you select. Be sure to list the number of your paper using the period #'s in the day of the week column in the class schedule. These papers will be handed in at each seminar. In your format for the paper make a place for your discussion score in the upper right corner. Papers need to be machine printed hard-copy and free of spelling and obvious grammatical errors. You will be given feedback on the quality of your writing. Timely submission is the major criterion for the discovery paper grade. If turned in at the discussion period when due they will receive '3' points for a 'quality' paper. Papers lacking in 'quality'(lacking thoughtful analysis, spelling or obvious grammatical errors) will receive '2' points. If you must miss a seminar you may receive a negotiated level of credit for the paper if advanced arrangements are negotiated with me. If no advanced arrangements are made the late paper will only receive '1' point. Of course no paper no points.
3. Come to seminar prepared to discuss your discovery paper and/or the reading assignment. Regular seminar meeting times will be used to discuss concepts and insights from your discovery papers for each day's reading assignment. The major variable in the determination of grade in this seminar will be the score you assign yourself for your participation in the discussion. Participation in the discussions will be self graded each day and the score for the day's discussion will be handed in each period - according to the following scale: [ '0' reading assignment not competed - did not participate in discussion. '1' reading assignment not competed but participated in the discussion. '2' reading assignment completed but little or no contribution to the discussion. '3' reading assignment completed and a significant contribution to the discussion that relates to the reading assignment.] A '3' discussion score may not be taken for any class at which you arrive late or leave early. From this grade scale you can see that your grade is heavily impacted by whether you have read the reading assignment each day. You may be called upon to justify your score if it varies widely from my observation of your participation. This will be accomplished by my changing your score on your paper and initialing it. When you receive the paper back, if you think I have been unfair or overlooked your contribution see me during office hours to resolve the difference.
4. One major writing assignment will be required. The major writing assignment, which is a report of the development and justification of your own personal professional code of ethics after the pattern of the ACM Code of Ethics. I've not seen a good job done on this paper in less than about ten pages and being a personal code it should be written mainly in the first person. This paper may be handed in for a preliminary grade on or any time prior to period # 20. It will be graded with feed-back and returned as soon as possible. It can then be resubmitted for an improved grade based on changes needed. The deadline for this assignment is period # 25. The turning in of papers for preliminary grade is optional.
5. Writing three summary papers is required as shown in the schedule. These summary papers will address a set of questions that will relate to approximately the prior one third of the reading assignments.
Student Evaluation:
1. Discovery Papers 25% KEEP TRACK OF YOUR 2. Discussion Scores 50% SCORES FOR BOTH 3. Three Summary Papers ea. 5% 15% YOUR DAILY PAPERS & 4. Major Writing Assignment 10% DISCUSSION SCORES - _____ LIST THEM ON YOUR 100% CLASS SCHEDULE1. If you find it necessary to be absent, be sure to negotiate with me for a grade better than the '0','0' which you will receive for the discussion paper and discussion score if you miss the discussion and don't hand in the discussion paper.
2. The late penalty for either summary papers or the code of ethics paper will be 20% for each day late.
3. University standards will be upheld in this class. This includes being honest, adhering to the BYU dress standards, and following all other standards you have agreed to uphold. You must do your own work, especially on writing assignments. Be particularly sensitive to the implicit copyright under the Bern Convention of each C S 404 paper done in previous semesters. I have copies of many of these papers and plagiarism would be grounds for failing this course.
4. An education at a university requires complying with many rules and regulations. However, as much as possible I want to encourage new ways of doing things. Initiative and creative thinking are encouraged. I hope you will enjoy learning many new concepts and practical details. I especially hope that in the process you learn that through being good your capacity to do well increases.
GRADE BREAKDOWN FOR C S 404 A 93 - 100 C 65 - 73 A - 90 - 92 C - 60 - 64 B + 87 - 89 D + 57 - 59 B 83 - 86 D 53 - 56 B - 80 - 82 D - 50 - 52 C + 74 - 79 E BELOW 50