Course Format

The course will have several components:

1. Lectures: The class meets once per week, covering the topics covered on the course schedule, approximately two topics per meeting. Attendance is expected in lecture.
2. Debates: We will reserve some of the class meeting time for policy debates around the topics covered on the schedule. The frequency of these will depend on course enrollment levels but will occur no more frequently than weekly.

Recommended Background

Prerequisites:

There are no official pre-requisites for the course, and you are welcome to take the course with the permission of the instructor. Some basic knowledge of computer science, computer systems, and programming will be very helpful, as a couple of the assignments involve programming in lauguages like Python and Javascript. (Knowledge of Javascript is not assumed for the course!)

The courses below are not required but may be helpful background.

• CMSC 15400
• CAPP 30121: Computer Science with Applications I
• CAPP 30122: Computer Science with Applications II

Grading

Grading is based on:

• Lab Assignments (40%). The course will have a sequence of lab assignments, as outlined on the schedule. Due dates and instructions for turning in assignments will be posted on Canvas.
• Midterm and Final Exam (30%). The class will have a midterm exam and a final exam.
• Debate (25%). You will participate in one debate during the term, on a topic related to security, privacy, and consumer protection. You will be graded according to your preparation and participation in this activity.
• Participation and In-Class Quizzes (5%). Ask good questions, get to know the instructor and TAs, show up to office hours, and generally interact with the class as much as possible! There may be periodic in-class quizzes to check attention and participation.

Late Policy

We understand that sometimes life events occur and that it’s not always possible to meet every deadline. As such, we are willing to accept late assignments according to the following policy:

• You start the term with a grace period “balance” of 96 hours.
• Each assignment will be due at 5:00 p.m. (Chicago Local Time) on the due date.
• For each assignment, every hour late (or fraction thereof) that you turn in the assignment will subtract one hour from your grace-period balance. For example, if you turn in your assignment at 6:02 p.m. on the due date, we will count this as two hours against your grace period.
• As long as your grace period balance is positive, you can turn in any assignment late without penalty.
• Once your grace period balance reaches zero, you will receive half credit for any assignment that you turn in, as long as you turn it in within one week of the due date. If your grace period balance is zero and you turn in an assignment more than one week late, you will receive no credit for the assignment. Important: You must still turn in all assignments to pass the course, even if you receive zero points on an assignment. Turning in all assignments is a necessary condition for passing.

Excuses with medical documentation are a legitimate exception and will not count against your late period. Any other reasons for lateness—including but not limited to interviews, conferences, etc.—are not legitimate excuses and any resulting lateness will count against your grace period.

Reading and Videos

All readings will be posted on the schedule page of this webpage. Readings may comprise popular press articles, readings from the textbooks listed above, notes, and published research papers.

Academic Honesty and Integrity

You are taking this class to learn. My goal is to teach you new concepts—any attempts to circumvent that deprive you of the process of learning. To that end, you are responsible for doing your own work in this class.

You may talk to the course staff and to other students (past and present) about any assignments in this class. You can work together in discussing how you approached a particular problem, as long as you acknowledge who you worked with.

“Modern” coding indeed involves a lot of copy/paste/adaptation of existing code blocks, and such adaptation is permissible, within reason. If you find approaches and solutions on the Internet to various problems in this class, you are welcome to borrow ideas and approaches (and even copy code snippets, with acknowledgment and links). Please acknowledge all collaborators and sources.

The primary activity that is not permitted it copying a solution verbatim; if you find yourself running code that has been copy/pasted from anywhere, pause and think. Ask the staff if you have questions about this policy.

The University of Chicago has formal policies related to academic honesty and plagiarism. We abide by these standards in this course. Depending on the severity of the offense, you risk being dismissed altogether from the course.

No collaboration is permitted on quizzes or exams. All work submitted for the project must properly cite ideas and work that are not those of the students in the group.

Kindness, Respect, and Free Expression

Topics in this course, particularly those that touch on ethics, policy, the law, and society, may touch on topics that challenge your existing thinking, and certain discussions may make you feel uncomfortable or challenged.

To this end, we seek to make this class an inclusive environment, one of mutual respect for others. The University of Chicago is committed to the principles of free expression, and part of my duty as your instructor is to help foster that environment.

To achieve the vibrant intellectual atmosphere we aim for, an environment of respect for each other is of utmost importance. Every person should conduct themselves with integrity, compassion, and thoughtfulness so everyone feels comfortable participating and benefits from a collective learning experience.

Think not only of what you say but how you say it.

Participation and speaking up is critical to the vibrant intellectual environment we all want to create among ourselves. I may not always be clear in my own presentation (and I also make plenty of mistakes), but I will not know that unless you speak up. If you have a question, there’s a good chance half of the class is probably thinking the same thing. Be bold.

Finally, think about when to step back, so that everyone can have a chance to speak. To that end, I typically make a concerted effort to step back from discussions myself—viewing my role as more of a facilitator—so that you can feel free to speak. If I announce (or allude to) my opinion on a matter in front of the class, that may make some of you less eager to share your own viewpoints, which is also a fail.