CSCI 300 Seminar in Computing (Fall 2024)

Contact Information

  • Instructor: Michael Levet (He/Him/His)
    • Contact: lastnamefirstinitial (at) cofc (dot) edu
    • Office: Harbor Walk East 312
    • Location:
      • Harbor Walk West 213: 4:00-5:15 (Monday/Wednesday)
      • Zoom- Remote Synchronous, for those who wish to participate remotely.
    • Office Hours (Tentative):
      • MW: 5:30-6:30 PM on Zoom
      • By appointment
  • Syllabus
  • Google Forms: (You must be signed in to your CofC account to access these forms.)
  • Schedule Your Presentation.

Announcements

  • 11/8: Revisions for Ethics Activity 3 are due on 11/18 at 8 PM.
  • 11/5:
    • We will have student presentations on 11/6 and 11/13. Feedback for those will be due on 11/20 at 8 PM.
    • We will have research presentations from other CS students on 11/11. Questions will be due on 11/18 at 8 PM.
    • Dr. Baumann from Math will be speaking to us about her research on 11/18. Questions will be due on 11/25 at 8 PM.
    • Please plan for both the 11/11 and 11/18 talks to be in-person.
    • Our last day of class will be 11/18. Please use the remainder of the semester to work on your term papers, as needed.
    • If you need to meet with me about your term paper, please plan to do so sooner than later. My availability during finals week will be limited.
  • 10/27: We have student presentations on 10/28 and 10/30. Feedback for those is due on 11/8 at 8 PM.
  • 10/24: We had student presentations on 10/23. Feedback for those is due on 11/1 at 8 PM. The recordings are now on OAKS.
  • 10/21: Dr. Rashid will be speaking to us today. His talk will also be streamed on Zoom. Questions for Dr. Rashid will be due on 10/28 at 8 PM.
  • 10/16: Feedback for the presentations from today is due on 10/25 at 8 PM.
  • 10/14: The Career Fair is tomorrow 10/15.
    • The two-paragraph reflection is due on 11/1 at 8 PM.
    • Attending the Career Fair may be substituted for the following:
      • Attending BizBash.
      • Interviewing for an internship or full-time job (in-discipline)
      • Obtaining an internship or full-time job (in-discipline)
      That is, you may write a reflection on any of the subtitutions listed above.
  • 10/6:
    • Everyone should have received feedback on your resume. If you did not receive credit on your resume, you can submit a revision to OAKS by 10/21 at 8 PM.
    • On Monday 10/7, Dr. Blackwell from Economics will be speaking to us! This will be an in-person only talk.
    • The question for Dr. Blackwell is due to OAKS by 10/11 at 8 PM.
    • On Wednesday 10/9, class time will be for you all to work on revising your resumes. Please consider using this time to ask your classmates for feedback and suggestions. In previous semesters, students have reported that they found having time to talk with their classmates to be useful.
    • There will be no class on Monday 10/14, as the Career Fair is on Tuesday 10/15.
    • We will have student presentations on Wednesday 10/16.
  • 9/29:
    • We will have student presentations on 9/30 and 10/2.
    • There is one OAKS assignment for feedback on both of these. The due date is 10/11 at 8 PM.
  • 9/22:
    • On Monday 9/23, we will have three student presentations. Feedback will be due to OAKS on 10/3 at 8 PM. See the OAKS assignment for more information.
    • As nobody is signed up to present on Wednesday 9/25, class will be cancelled.
  • 9/20: Ethics Activity 2 has been graded. Revisions are due by 10/4 at 8 PM, to OAKS.
  • 9/16:
    • Your thoughtful question for Dr. Lovellette or Dr. Hashemi is due by 9/20 at 8 PM to OAKS.
    • We will have student presentations on 9/18. Feedback for those is due on 9/25 at 8 PM to OAKS. More details are on the relevant OAKS assignment and the syllabus.
  • 9/14:
    • On Monday 9/16, Profs. Lovellette and Hashemi will be speaking to us about the graduate program. This will be a hybrid talk, and I will be recording. If you are interested in the MS CS or MS Data Science programs, it might be worth attending in person so that you can talk to them.
    • On Wednesday 9/18, we will have three presentations from your classmates. I have created a Presentations assignment on OAKS. Please upload your slides by 3:45 PM the day you present. This is to ensure that I can pull them up on the classroom computer. The OAKS assignment lists a deadline of 12/6, but this is to ensure that everyone will be able to submit their slides to the same place. Again, please make sure to upload your slides by 3:45 PM the day you present, and not 12/6.
  • 9/12: Ethics Activity 1 is now graded. If you did not receive credit, you can submit revisions to OAKS by 9/26 at 8 PM.
  • 9/9:
    • Please submit your question for Jim Allison or ethics article summary to the corresponding assignment on OAKS. This is due by 9/13 at 8 PM.
    • On Wednesday 9/11, we will have time to work in-class on our third ethics activity. This is ultimately due on October 18 at 8 PM. However, the assignment is relatively short and should not require that much time.
    • As of 10:30 PM, presentation slots are now set. Please check OAKS - Content - Week 4. If your slot on the Excel spreadsheet disagrees with your slot on Calendly, please email me ASAP. If you did not sign up on Calendly, then I have assigned you a slot and emailed you. Please refer to the announcement from 8/16 below. Due to the size of the class, I cannot accommodate rescheduling for discretionary reasons. Only requests due to extenuating circumstances (illness, emergency situations, etc.) will be accommodated.
  • 9/7:
    • On Monday 9/9, we will have Jim Allison from Career Services speaking to us. This is a good opportunity to ask questions about your resume, applying for jobs, etc. Plan for this talk to be in-person only. If you cannot attend class, there is an alternative assignment-- please see the syllabus for details.
    • Please make sure to sign up for a presentation slot by 9/9 at 8 PM. I will assign slots after that. Presentation slots will be finalized after 9/9 at 8 PM.
  • 9/1:
    • Please send your CV to me via email by September 30 at 8 PM. The email should be professional, and this counts as your professional email-- see the syllabus for more details.
    • On Monday 9/2, we will discuss the Stable Marriage Problem. A reflection is due on 9/9 at 8 PM to OAKS. There are more details for what you will need to turn in on the OAKS assignment Ethics Activity 1: Algorithmic Bias.
    • On Wednesday 9/4, we will use class time for you all to work on digesting sources for your term paper. Please bring two sources to class, and be prepared to discuss them with a small group of your peers. For each source you bring, please summarize it, discuss the legal/societal/ethical issues present, and discuss any proposed solutions. Then, please summarize one of your classmate's sources. There are no length requirements, but your writing should constitute a good-faith effort and demonstrate clear understanding. Avoid fluff writing to fill space without saying anything. This writeup is due on 9/13 at 8 PM.
      The goal of this is to provide scaffolding for your presentation and term paper. Taking the time to explain things to others will help you organize your thoughts. Ask questions of your classmates. Please also make the extra effort to be respectful. Folks may choose to explore topics that are sensitive or deeply personal in nature.
  • 8/24: Due to unforseen circumstances, I need to change my office hours on Monday to 12-1 PM over Zoom. I apologize for any inconvenience!
  • 8/21:
    • Class on Monday 8/26 will be carved out for you all to work on your resumes or CVs.
    • Class on Wednesday will be cancelled. The department has its ice cream social. Please go get ice cream, welcome new students to the department, learn more about student clubs, talk to faculty about research opportunities, etc.
  • 8/18:
    • The draft for your term paper is due on September 30 at 8 PM. Please upload a PDF to OAKS.
    • The final submission for your term paper is due on December 2 at 8 PM. You are welcome and encouraged to turn in your paper early.
    • Please fill out this optional Day One Survey
  • 8/16: There will be presentations throughout the course. You will select a topic from a list on OAKS, or you can propose your own. You should discuss social, legal, or ethical issues surrounding your topic. Your presentation should take between 13-15 minutes, followed by 3-4 minutes for questions. The form to sign up for presentations is here, as well as the above Schedule Your Presentation link. Presentations start on September 18; sign-ups are first-come, first-serve. Please sign up for a presentation slot by September 9 at 8 PM. Otherwise, I will assign presentation slots to the remaining folks, and I will not take requests for slot changes from those folks.
  • 8/13: Website created.