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  • Instructor: Alex Godwin, Assistant Professor
  • Office: DMTI 112C
  • Classroom: DMTI 116 T, F 9:45 AM - 11:00 AM

  • Office Hours: T, W, F 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

  • Research Librarian: Clarissa Ihssen, MSLIS, University Sciences Librarian
  • Email: ihssen@american.edu
  • Phone: (202) 885-3841

Academic Integrity

Unless explicitly stated otherwise, you are expected to do your assignments on your own. It is not appropriate to find existing essay or article, modify it, and submit it as your own work. Prose submitted for assignments will be compared to existing databases of example student work to verify authenticity. Exams and quizzes will be an independent effort. If in doubt, confer with your instructor.

All students are expected to adhere to the American University Honor Code.

We will discuss aspects of plagiarism in class.

In this course, solutions to writing exercises generated by AI-Generated writing models like ChatGPT are considered academic plagiarism, and will be referred to the Academic Integrity Office of American University just as if you had copied the work of a friend, website, or online tutor. While we encourage you to create an OpenAI account and play around with this and other AI-Generated tools, you should not use it to generate complete solutions to the homework problems or group projects in this course that you submit as your own work. It is reasonable to expect that tools like this will eventually be integrated into the workflows of many businesses in the future, however, while you are still learning the fundamentals of computer science and writing the processes of crafting prose, constructing an argument, and conducting research are just as important as the final product. You will be instructed early in the course how to document that process in a way that provides evidence that your work is your own.

Class Participation

It is expected that students will come to class, be prepared by doing the readings, and will pay attention and participate in discussions. Participation is scored by evaluation of in-class activities that you will submit at the end of most classes and your general ability to participate in class discussions. Expect to be called on without prior notice and be ready to answer questions in front of the class.

Any questions regarding general rules and regulations should first be directed to the American University Catalog. If you still have questions, please seek out the TA or Instructor during the posted office hours.

Use of Computers and Cell Phones in Class

Educational research shows that taking notes by hand on paper will lead to better retention of material than taking notes by typing. Also, in the past classrooms have had issues with students not only not paying attention but also disrupting others during class - by playing games, by accidentally clicking on a video with the sound on, etc.

Please do not use your cell phone in class. If you have gotten this far in reading the syllabus, then Snoop and I applaud you. Obviously, the language in the above section does not apply as much in remote learning as it does in the classroom. Still, it is good advice - many of the lectures are intended to be interactive, even online, and if you are casually ignoring the prof in a background tab you may miss something interesting.

Homework

Homework will be graded on a list of criteria (specified on the assignment) such as quality of writing, completeness, insight into technical issues, insight into social issues, etc. For each criterion, you will receive either a check plus, check, or check minus. Most criterion will receive a check. A plus means “you impressed me.” A minus means the assignment is incomplete, incorrect, or sloppy in some fashion with respect to that criterion. Pluses and minuses are combined to give your grade for the assignment. For most assignments, you start out halfway between a B+ and A-. One plus makes it an A-; one minus makes it a B+. These are general guidelines to let you know what to expect. Grading on specific assignments may differ.

Generally speaking, I will not assign significant penalties for occasional mistakes in punctuation and grammar. I will assign penalties if these errors significantly affect the readability of your submissions.

For more information, refer to the assignments section of this site.

Late Submission

Project deliverables are due at the beginning of class on the specified date unless stated otherwise. Assignments turned in after this time will be penalized with a letter grade (10%) for each 24-hour period after the initial deadline. The maximum penalty applied is 30%, so even if you must turn in something after that point you still have the possibility of receiving some credit. Waiting until the last minute is a recipe for disaster - if you are stuck early, come to office hours for the instructor or TA ASAP to get unstuck!

Attendance

Students must attend all lectures. Not attending the discussion sessions and/or not reading the assigned material will negatively affect your ability to do well in this course. Prolonged absences must be discussed with the instructor and are not guaranteed to be excused.

Exams

Exams cover the material from the lectures and reading. While not necessarily cumulative, each exam will require understanding many of the concepts covered in the preceding exams. Exams consist of multiple choice, short answer, and long answer questions. Each exam has equal weight and is typically curved based on class performance.

Grading

  • Assignments: 20%
  • Term Paper: 30%
  • Midterm Exam: 20%
  • Final Exam: 20%
  • Participation: 5%
  • Attendance: 5%

Letter Grades

  • A [93, 100]
  • A- [90, 93)
  • B+ [87, 90)
  • B [83, 87)
  • B- [80, 83)
  • C+ [77, 80)
  • C [73, 77)
  • C- [70, 73)
  • D+ [67, 70)
  • D [63, 67)
  • D- [60, 63)
  • F [0, 60)

Students with Disabilities

If you wish to receive accommodations for a disability, please notify me with a letter from the Academic Support and Access Center. As accommodations are not retroactive, timely notification at the beginning of the semester, if possible, is strongly recommended. To register with a disability or for questions about disability accommodations, contact the Academic Support and Access Center at 202-885-3360 or asac@american.edu, or drop by the ASAC in MGC 243.

Academic Support

All students may take advantage of the Academic Support and Access Center (ASAC) for individual academic skills counseling, workshops, Tutoring, peer tutor referrals, and Supplemental Instruction. The ASAC is located in Mary Graydon Center 243. Additional academic support resources available at AU include the Bender Library, the Writing Center (located in the Library), the Math Lab (located in Don Meyers Technology and Innovation Building), and the Center for Language Exploration, Acquisition, & Research (CLEAR) in Anderson Hall. A more complete list of campus-wide resources is available in the ASAC.

Acknowledgments

Course design by Alex Godwin at American University. Assignments and ideas on this syllabus build from the work of many other instructors in computing, especially Amy Bruckman at Georgia Tech and Casey Fiesler at the University of Colorado, Boulder.