Unofficial Description:  This is a reading-and-writing course.   Each week you will be assigned to read several articles on various aspects of computing, and to write a review of them.  Since most of the course focuses on writing, your reviews will be graded for style as well as content.  If your writing skills could use some polish, follow the Resources link, below.
THERE WILL BE 5 POINTS OFF FOR EACH SPELLING/GRAMMAR/OTHER ERROR! Be very careful.
NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS ACCEPTED FOR ANY REASON! Be on time and start early. Allow time for emergencies.

Unofficial Prerequisites:

• The self-descipline necessary to work independently, including the ability to correctly read and follow written instructions.
• The ability to read and write well -- 99.9% of the communication in this course will be written.
• Ownership of, or access to, a PC, either IBM-compatible or Apple-compatible.
• Access to and expertise with: an e-mail client, a text or word processor, a web browser, and Adobe's Acrobat Reader (you can download it from here). Blackboard is optimized for use with Microsoft Internet Explorer.
• Access to an account with an Internet service provider (e.g. i-55.com, bellsouth.net, AOL, etc.).

Instructor: Dr. Theresa Beaubouef

• Office: 329C Fayard Hall
• Office Phone: 985-549-3751
• Office Hours: TBA.
• E-mail: tbeaubouef@selu.edu
• Web page: http://www.selu.edu/Academics/Faculty/tbeaubouef/

Your course grade will be based on written reviews of assigned articles: 6 papers worth 100 points each. There are 7 assignments provided. You will choose any 6 of the assignments to complete. You may only turn in 6 of the 7. I will only grade the first 6 you turn in. The smart student will save the week off for emergencies. There will be NO late assignments accepted, no illness excuses, etc., since you have the one free assignment. Follow these general rules for writing your papers. Two-thirds of each paper's grade will be based on the content; one-third will be based on mechanics (5 or more points off for each spelling, grammar, or formatting error).

Your final grade will be computed as follows (grades will not be curved):

 Schedule:
 

Week	Due Dates	Topic	Readings
1	Jan 29	Article Reviews	How to Write Article Reviews
2	Feb 5	Friends and Romance	Articles 17, 18, 21 from your text
3	Feb 12	Crime and Fraud	Articles  5, 19, 32 from your text
4	Feb 19	Computing Future	Articles 27, 45, 46 from your text
5	Feb 26	University Issues	Articles 20, 23, 24 from your text
6	Mar 4	Computer Risk	Articles 29, 30, 31 from your text
7	Mar 11	International and Computer Issues	Articles 13, 36, 37, 38 from your text

Course Structure and Policy:

Note: Some of the policies listed below may seem a bit harsh.  However, those policies follow the advice of the business people who hire Southeastern graduates.  They want workers who can be counted on to meet deadlines, to produce quality products, and to be at work on time, every day.  They feel that students should learn this "work ethic" by being held strictly accountable in their university courses.

For the purpose of this course, academic weeks will run from Tuesday  8 a.m. through the following Tuesday morning at 7:59 a.m., beginning on January 16.  There is no holiday for this course, so if you want a break you should turn in the assignment a week or more early.

Attendance:

For the purposes of this course, "attending class" means checking the course's Announcements at least twice a week. Although "attendance" will not be part of your grade, you are responsible for keeping current on posted announcements and assignments. Check email daily.

Communications:

• Questions about readings and assignments must be posted to the class Discussion Board, not emailed to me.
• I will attempt to reply to posted questions within 24 hours.  I will ignore emailed questions about general course topics.
• Class grades are posted as soon as they are computed, not necessarily all at once. Please allow up to one week for the posting of your grade.
• Questions concerning you personally (e.g. notifying me of a planned absence) can be sent to me via email.
• Feel free to discuss readings and assignments via the Discussion Board. However, the work that you turn in must be your own.
• Check your email daily in case I need to communicate with you individually.

• Each assignment is a review on the topic specified above.  The review must reference ALL of the assigned articles and address topics from each. The assignments will be due no later than 7:59 AM on the Tuesday morning DUE DATE.
• Any additional information regarding assignments will be posted under Announcements.
• Use the Digital Drop Box on Blackboard to submit assignments.
• Late submissions, as determined by Blackboard's time stamp, will receive zero (0) points.

ALWAYS PRINT AND KEEP A COPY OF THE DIGITAL DROP BOX RECEIPT!!
• If you want detailed explanation of corrections, etc. on your review, you may pick up your graded assignment during my regular office hours, OR if you provide me with a self-addressed stamped envelope for each assignment, I will mail them to you. I will not send detailed explanations about the grading of your assignment via email. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you collect your graded assignments so that you do not continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.
• Consult the Checklist before submitting assignments.
• See Sample Review for additional guidance. There are many different styles. Notice, however, the introductory and concluding paragraphs, and include at least one paragraph from each article read.

Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty, as defined in Article IV of the Code of Student Conduct, will earn you an "F" for the course. (See "Academic Honesty" in the University Catalogue for procedures which apply to academic dishonesty.)

The term "cheating" includes, but is not limited to: (1) use of any unauthorized assistance in taking quizzes, tests, or examinations; (2) dependence upon the aid of sources beyond those authorized by the instructor in writing papers, preparing reports, solving problems, or carrying out other assignments; or (3) the acquisition, without permission, of tests or other academic materials belonging to a member of the University faculty or staff; (4) and/or other violations as defined by University policies.

The term "plagiarism" includes, but is not limited to, the use, by paraphrase or direct quotation, of the published or unpublished work of another person without full and clear acknowledgment. It also includes stealing and passing off the ideas and/or words of another as one's own; using a created production without crediting the source; the unacknowledged use of materials prepared by another person or agency engaged in the selling of term papers or other academic materials; and/or other violations as defined by University policies.

If you are a qualified student with a disability seeking accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, you are required to self-identify with the Office of Student Life, Room 202, Student Union. No accommodations will be granted without documentation from the Office of Disability Services.