Course Syllabus

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Official Description

This is the Canvas page for CS210 and CS211

Ethics for the computing profession. Ethical decision-making; licensing; intellectual property, freedom of information, and privacy.

Weekly Schedule

On a typical week, our schedule in the course will look like this:

  • Monday will be discussion section, where you interact with your classmates and TAs to explore the topics of the course.
  • Wednesday will be lecture, where the instructor will introduce new course concepts and vocabulary.
  • Friday (211 only) will be writing lab, where you will work with your classmates and course staff to produce writing assignments.

Staff

If you have a question about an assignment or other course-related topic, please use the discussions section of Canvas. If you have a personal problem or grading issue, please contact the course staff directly.

Name Role Email Office Hours
Ryan Cunningham Instructor rcunnin2@illinois.edu

M,F 2pm-2:50pm 
In-person: 2211 Siebel Center
Via Zoom: Here. Code: 803434
Sruthi Jayanti TA sjayan3@illinois.edu

T,H 12-12:50pm

Via Zoom: Here

Code: 728853
Thomas Quig TA tquig2@illinois.edu

T,H 5-5:50pm

Via Zoom: here

Code: 935603
JT Kirages TA kirages2@illinois.edu

W,F 9:30-10:30am

Via Zoom:  Here
Code: 464232

Grading Policies

Weights

Below, you'll find the weighting of each grade category for the course.

CS210

Your grade will be based on the following weighting:

Category Weight
Class Participation 15%
Weekly Assignments 30%
Presentation 10%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 25%

CS211

Your writing project grades will all be equally weighted (drafts and final) to make up 25% of your grade. The weighting above for CS210 will form the remaining 75% of your grade.

Cutoffs

Below, you'll find tentative grade cutoffs. I reserve the right to modify these cutoffs, but they will never be revised upward. In other words, I will only change the cutoffs in your favor.

Grade Cutoff
A 92%
A- 90%
B+ 88%
B 82%
B- 80%
C+ 78%
C 72%
C- 70%
D 60%

Weekly Assignments

Weekly assignments will usually be distributed on Wednesdays. They will be due the following Wednesday. Your submission will then be graded by course staff.

  • Late assignments will not be accepted unless you have an excused absence.
  • The lowest assignment grade will automatically be dropped.

Class Participation

We will use iClicker to track class participation in lecture and discussion. To set up iClicker, follow the instructions here.

One absence will be excused automatically. We will drop one attendance grade from the final grade calculation at the end of the semester.

Further absences must be approved by the instructor or a TA. These will be considered an excused absence. You can then make up for the missed discussion section during office hours. If you are sick, please take it seriously!

Presentation

You will give a brief presentation during discussion section during the last two weeks of this class. More details will be available later in the semester.

Writing Projects (211 Only)

There will be four substantial writing projects over the course of the semester: an instruction manual, a research paper, a professional portfolio, and a persuasive essay. Each one will be introduced in writing lab and will go through multiple rounds of revision.

Exams

There will be a midterm and a final in this course. Both exams will consist of multiple choice questions and one essay questions and will be conducted on Canvas. A study guide with practice questions will be posted for both exams.

  • The midterm will be conducted during the normal discussion time on October 5th.
  • The final exam will be conducted during the class's regularly scheduled exam slot, December 12th at 7pm.

Textbook

The textbook is not required, and previous editions will help supplement the class material.

  • Citation: Tavani, Herman T. Ethics and technology: Controversies, questions, and strategies for ethical computing. John Wiley & Sons, 2011.
  • Edition: 5th
  • ISBN: 0470509503

Resources

Over the course of the semester, we will post potentially useful resources below.

Course Policies

Excused Absence

An excused absence for the course should fall into one of the categories described for obtaining an absence letter in the Student Code. This includes things like: prolonged illness, life threatening injury of an immediate family member, death of a family member, religious beliefs, volunteer emergency work, or significant and compelling circumstances beyond a student's control. Note: Job interviews are explicitly excluded. You are responsible for resolving conflicts in your own schedule. This is, after all, a course about being professional.

COVID 19

If you feel ill or are unable to come to class or complete class assignments due to issues related to COVID-19, including but not limited to testing positive yourself, feeling ill, caring for a family member with COVID-19, or having unexpected child-care obligations, you should contact your instructor immediately, and you are encouraged to copy your academic advisor.

Testing positive for COVID-19 would obviously constitute an excused absence. Stay home, protect your peers, and make up your absence during office hours. Please be safe!

Academic Integrity

Please review and reflect on the academic integrity policy. of the University of Illinois, to which we subscribe. By turning in materials for review, you certify that all work presented is your own and has been done by you independently, or as a member of a designated group for group assignments.

  • If you use someone else’s ideas or quote someone, proper acknowledgement must be given. Failure to do so is plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty.
  • If another person's words appear in your paper, they must be quoted.
  • If you are uncertain if something constitutes plagiarism, ask before you submit your assignment. Submitting your assignment means claiming those words as your own. Once you submit your assignment, it is too late!
  • Plagiarism in drafts constitutes plagiarism.

Please be aware that the consequences for plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty are severe. Students who violate university standards of academic integrity are subject to disciplinary action, including a reduced grade, failure in the course, and suspension or dismissal from the University. (Adapted from Cooke, Nicole, GSLIS Syllabus Template).

Late Registration

If you register for this course late, you are responsible for submitting all prior assignments within one week of your registration as well as keeping up with future due dates. If you are considering registering late, you are welcome to contact the instructor to get access to view and submit assignments prior to being officially registered.

Mental Health

Diminished mental health, including significant stress, mood changes, excessive worry, substance/alcohol abuse, or problems with eating and/or sleeping can interfere with optimal academic performance, social development, and emotional well-being. The University of Illinois offers a variety of confidential services including individual and group counseling, crisis intervention, psychiatric services, and specialized screenings at no additional cost. If you or someone you know experiences any of the above mental health concerns, it is strongly encouraged to contact or visit any of the University’s resources provided below. Getting help is a smart and courageous thing to do -- for yourself and for those who care about you.

Counseling Center: 217-333-3704, 610 East John Street Champaign, IL 61820

McKinley Health Center:217-333-2700, 1109 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801

Course Summary:

Date Details Due