Assignments
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Assignments in this course fall into two categories:
With few exceptions, assignments will be written in Markdown and submitted through the course LMS. Assignment lengths are based on number of words, not number of pages. Markdown files can be written in any text editor (even Google Documents or Word), but if you want to preview the styled results while you type, you can use the online platform StackEdit. Also, many of the JetBrains IDEs, such as WebStorm, PyCharm, and IntelliJ natively support Markdown rendering. So, if you already have one of those from the many computer science courses in which they are useful, you may already have an editor on your computer.
Once you get the hang of the basic syntax of Markdown, you may want to try some more advanced features. Even when you have some familiarity with it, you may need to refer to the cheat sheet for guidance.
Why Markdown? Using markdown allows us to ignore distracting elements such as fonts and pagination and cut through to the core of your writing. While it’s not a programming language, the scripting features are extremely useful for writing articles online that can be styled to fit the website that you are posting to. Markdown is useful for developers and writers, and since most of you are both, it’s good practice.
Homework
Assignments regularly change, but often conform to one of the following topics. Check the course LMS for detailed instructions during your semester.
- Analyzing the arguments of an article
- Applying different ethical frameworks to a dilemma
- Platform policy analysis
- Computer science fiction
CSC 484 vs 684
If you are enrolled as a graduate student in CSC 684, there will be additional readings assigned and additional requirements for each assignment. Be sure to check the course LMS for detailed guidance on each assignment.