Course Syllabus

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CS210 Course Syllabus

Official Description

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

  • Course Information: Credit is not given for both CS 210 and ECE 316.
  • Prerequisite: CS 225. Junior standing required.

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 staff directly.

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

M 11am-12pm in 2211 SC

 Lectures
Akarsh Vankayalapati TA akarshv2@illinois.edu

T 11am-1pm,

Zoom Link,
Password: 018900

 ADA, ADB
Yi-Shyuan Chiang TA ysc6@illinois.edu

H 1pm-3pm,
Zoom link,
Password: 264780

 ADC, ADD
James He TA jzhe2@illinois.edu W 2:30pm-4:30pm,
Zoom link,
Password: 029797		 EDA, EDB, EDC

Grading Policies

Weights

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

Category Weight
Discussion Participation 10%
Lecture Participation 10%
Writing Assignments 30%
Presentation 10%
Midterm Exam 15%
Final Exam 25%

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%

Assignments

Writing assignments will be distributed on a weekly basis on Fridays. They will be due the following Friday. Your submission will then be graded by course staff.

  • Late assignments will not be accepted.
  • The lowest assignment grade will be dropped.

Lectures

Lectures will be held online and in person on Fridays at 10am.

Both in-person and online lectures will make use of iClickers. For more information on iClicker registration, click here.

The lecture recordings are available here.

Discussion Sections

Discussion section is a time to explore the concepts discussed in the course more deeply. Your TA will conduct your discussion section. Your grade in discussion section depends entirely on your participation. Show up regularly and make a good faith effort to get involved and you'll pass this requirement with flying colors.

The last two discussion sections meeting times are reserved for presentations. You should still show up, but things will be a little different. We won't have normal discussion sections during the last two weeks. Instead, you will present to your classmates and watch their presentations.

Section Meeting Time Zoom Link Zoom Passcode TA
ADA 11am In Person In Person Akarsh
ADB 12pm In Person In Person Akarsh
ADC 1pm In Person In Person Yi-Shyuan
ADD 2pm In Person In Person Yi-Shyuan
EDA 9am https://illinois.zoom.us/j/89499332729?pwd=c0dvK0xHWEo5Nnk5U3JKYlJkb21pdz09 562783 James
EDB 12pm https://illinois.zoom.us/j/82230855156?pwd=RHhQbUk5eUxrcks3Vjc0OFB2YlpKUT09 269019 James
EDC 3pm

https://illinois.zoom.us/j/84888847847?pwd=aTNDdktkSHVsWTBHSVlVclp4OTZWUT09

 724537 James

Presentation

Presentation information is available here.

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 lecture time on October 8th.
  • The final exam will be conducted during the class's regularly scheduled exam slot.

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.

Policies

Discussion Absences

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

Further absences from discussion must first be approved by your TA. You can then make up for the missed discussion section during office hours. Acceptable absences include things like illness, or personal emergencies or tragedies. If you are sick, please take it seriously!

Job interviews or other scheduled events are not acceptable absences. You are expected to manage your calendar as a professional and should not schedule multiple obligations in the same time slot.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will only be accepted for excused absences. No other late assignments will be accepted. If you miss the deadline, your assignment will receive no credit. Since these are weekly assignments, we can't let you fall behind. Submit before the deadline!

COVID-19

Following University policy, all students are required to engage in appropriate behavior to protect the health and safety of the community, including wearing a facial covering properly, maintaining social distance (at least 6 feet from others at all times), disinfecting the immediate seating area, and using hand sanitizer. Students are also required to follow the campus COVID-19 testing protocol.

Students who feel ill must not come to class. In addition, students who test positive for COVID-19 or have had an exposure that requires testing and/or quarantine must not attend class. The University will provide information to the instructor, in a manner that complies with privacy laws, about students in these latter categories. These students are judged to have excused absences for the class period and should contact the instructor via email about making up the work.

Students who fail to abide by these rules will first be asked to comply; if they refuse, they will be required to leave the classroom immediately. If a student is asked to leave the classroom, the non-compliant student will be judged to have an unexcused absence and reported to the Office for Student Conflict Resolution for disciplinary action. Accumulation of non-compliance complaints against a student may result in dismissal from the University.

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 using the consistent style of your choice. Not to do so is to commit plagiarism, a form of academic dishonesty. If you are not absolutely clear on what constitutes plagiarism and how to cite sources appropriately, now is the time to learn. Please ask!

Please be aware that the consequences for plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty will be 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).

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