Welcome to the website for CSC301. In this course, we will be examining how society shapes computer technology and vice versa. We will be using a flipped classroom model, where preparation must be done in advance, so that class time can be spent on discussion. Preparation will consist primarily of reading papers. Evaluation will primarily be based on written essays.
Check back here often for resources and important updates on the course. In addition to this web site, we will also be using a forum on Piazza and other web applications. Time-sensitive announcements will be sent out via email. Plan to check your account regularly.
This web page will serve as the course information page. If you require a paper copy, one can be provided to you upon request.
Attendance in class and tutorial is mandatory.
This class involves significant in-class discussion of topics on which you and your classmates may have differences in opinion. Please be respectful of others at all times.
Please turn off all cell phones/pagers/etc. before the beginning of each class. Please do not use notebook computers during class for any purpose not directly relating to this class. Please do not instant message or check email during class.
Student are encouraged to use the CSC301 discussion board on piazza as their first point of contact for asking questions, class discussions and other useful information. Important notifications about the course, as well as job opportunities and upcoming events, will appear there.
Email messages to the instructor should be reserved for personal matters and include "CSC300" in the subject line. In accordance with UofT policy, messages from need to be sent from a UofT domain.
Time-sensitive course announcements will be sent by email to the official course mailing list, so you should check your email regularly. Note that this mailing list goes to the email address that the registrar has for you.
All written assignments should use standard formatting – Times style font size 12 or Arial/Tahoma style font size 10, 8.5x11" paper, 1” margins, double spaced. All assignments will be turned in digitally on Blackboard.
At the top of your paper, state your name, student number, teaching assistant, assignment name, and due date.
We can't accept late work, since extended deadlines get in the way of your deadlines in other courses.
If you have special circumstances that force you to miss a deadline, please contact me immediately (usually before the work is due) and fill out the standard medical excuse form and provide all supporting documentation. Although we won't accept late work, we will do our best to ensure that there is no penalty for a deadline missed for a valid reason.
Requests for re-grading must be made in writing within one week of the assignment being returned. The request must be made to the TA who first graded the work. If making the request in email, it must come from a University of Toronto account. If you and the TA cannot come to a satisfactory resolution, the two of you can escalate the re-grade to me.
All assignments in this course will be done in individually. Plagiarism (the act of representing someone else's work or ideas as your own)--is a form of academic dishonesty, and is treated very seriously, regardless of whether you are the donor or the recipient. Please refer to the material provided by Office of Student Academic Integrity for details.
While you are encouraged to discuss your ideas with your peers, you are discouraged from sharing your work products. you should avoid looking at similar work by other students, in either written or electronic form, since looking can easily turn into plagiarism. Avoid showing your own assignments to other students.
Be sure to give full and generous credit by citing your sources.
Lectures are Thursdays 6-9pm in BA1190.
If you have questions that aren't answered in class, come to office hours, or simply hang around after lecture is finished.
There will be six office hours with TAs to discuss the requirements of assignments.
Required readings will be made available electronically on Piazza. There are no required textbooks for this courses. Students should plan on reading 50-100 pages per week for this course and watching a video or listening to a podcast.
Deliverable | Weight | Due Date |
Quizzes | 10% | Weekly |
Panel | 5% | Various Dates |
Participation | 10% | Throughout course |
Census and reflection | 5% | January 21, 22:00 |
Paper 1 Proposal | 2% | January 28, 22:00 |
Paper 1 | 15% | February 11, 22:00 |
Paper 2 Proposal | 3% | March 4, 22:00 |
Paper 2 | 20% | March 25, 22:00 |
Final Exam | 30% | During Exam Period |
In general, assignments are due on Tuesdays at 22:00. The details of what is required for each piece of term work will be posted at least two weeks before the relevant due date on this web site.
Quizzes will be held every week at the start of class, except for the first and last weeks of the term. They are closed book. They will be based on the assigned readings for that week and the previous week's lecture.
During each class, a group of students will be invited to come to the front of the class to participate in a panel. The panel will be given a question to discuss amongst themselves. Each student will be invited once during the term.
You will be evaluated on your participation in all aspects of this course, including, but not limited to: in-class contributions, questions and answers on piazza, class-related use of social media, and interaction with the teaching staff.
The final exam is worth 25% of the overall mark for the course. It is composed of two sections (multiple choice and long-answer essays), and is 3 hours in length.
Students are allowed to have one 8.5x11 aid sheet and must earn at least 40% on the final exam in order to pass the course.