CS 121 Our Digital World Spring 2011

Catalog Description

An exploration of the impact and effects of the Internet on all aspects of our lives as global citizens. This course examines the ethical, cultural, economic and political aspects of the Internet as a social technology. 2 credits.

Goals

• Know the history of the Internet
• Understand the nature of digital information
• Form and defend opinions about the impacts of Internet on culture and society
• Appreciate the ethical concerns raised by the Internet
• Perform quality research using electronic information resources
• Predict the ways in which the Internet will evolve in the coming years

Instructor Details

Expectations

• This is a discussion based class. You must attend class and be prepared to discuss the assigned readings. Failure to come to class prepared and participate in discussions will significantly impact your grade.
• This is a two-credit 100 level class that meets for 3 hours and 10 minutes a week. I expect you to spend between 2 and 4 hours a week working outside of classtime. This includes reading, researching, and writing up your assignments.
• You need to contribute topics to the class!

Important Dates

April 1: Last day to drop with no record

Academic Calendar 2010-2011 http://www.pacificu.edu/as/calendar/

Final Date

Saturday, May 14, Noon - 2:30pm

Policies

1. Attendance at every class is critical to your success in this course. I expect you to be on time and ready to go once it's 4:30 pm and that you stay until the end of class. Any missed lecture is your responsibility to make up; just remember, if you fall behind, it may be very difficult to catch up.

2. Speak Up! Participation is a vital part of this course and is clearly figured into the grading as shown above. Please notify me PRIOR to class if you must miss class for any reason. Just sending an email prior to missing class does not guarantee you will be cleared to miss. Only legitimate reasons will be accepted as excuses for missing class.

3. All homework/projects assigned in CS121 are to be submitted by 4:30 pm on the day in which the homework/project is due unless otherwise specified.

4. Homework/projects may be turned in late with a penalty of 10 percentage points per day (or portion thereof) meaning that one minute late is the same as 23 hours and 59 minutes late. Work can be submitted up to two days late.

5. You must attend all student presentations in the course or your own presentation grade will be lowered.

6. No early or late exams/finals will be given. No incompletes will be given.

7. Pacific University has no tolerance for academic dishonesty. It is university policy that all acts of academic dishonesty be reported to the Assistant/Associate Dean. Sanctions that may be imposed for academic dishonesty range from an "F" for the assignment, an "F" for the course, and suspension or dismissal from the university. Forms of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, fabrication, cheating, tampering with grades, forging signatures, and using electronic information resources in violation of acceptable use policies. Plagiarism is the use of someone else's words, ideas, or data without proper documentation or acknowledgment; it may entail self-plagiarism, i.e. reusing/resubmitting your own work without approval. Quotations must be clearly marked, and sources of information must be clearly indicated in all student work. Please consult the Academic Conduct Policies in the A&S Catalog.

First offense for cheating: 12 percentage points subtracted from your final course grade and a zero on the assignment in question.

Second offense for any cheating : 'F' in the course.

8. Neither computer failure, software failure, nor lack of computer access are accepted as excuses for late work; therefore, start work on your homework/projects as soon as they are assigned, and don't put them off until the last minute. Further, corruption of work due to bad disk media is also not accepted as an excuse for late work; therefore, always keep a current backup of all of your work on a separate storage medium. Vault (https://vault.pacificu.edu/) is a great place to backup your work.

9. Turn off your cell phone! You may be asked to leave the classroom if you are causing a distraction e.g. cell phone ringing, talking, etc . Please turn off all electronic devices, including cell phones, prior to the beginning of each lecture.

10. If you have a complaint regarding a grade on an assignment or exam, write a one paragraph description of why you feel the grade is incorrect and deliver it to the instructor within five working days of when the graded material was returned to you. I will not consider any grade changes later than five working days after the graded material was returned. I want you to present a well thought out explaination of why the grade is incorrect so I can make a decision or ask you for more information.

11. If you have a documented disability covered under the ADA then services and accommodations are available from LSS (Learning Support Services). If you need reasonable accommodations to fully participate in course activities or meet course requirements, you must contact Edna K. Gehring, Director of LSS, at X2107. She will meet with you, review the documentation of their disabilities, and discuss the services Pacific offers. You must inform the instructor of any accommodations you require