Courses Wayne State University College of Urban, Labor, and Metroplolitan Affairs (CULMA) Department of Interdisciplinary Studies (DIS) Computers and Society courses, Winter 2003 (Bowen) at blackboard.wayne.edu Wednesdays, 6 - 9:40 PM in Computer Classroom 16 at WACC Computers and Society     GST 2710, Section 986, CRN 25072, 4 credits Computers and Society     AGS 3360, Section 986, CRN 25009, 4 credits Office hours: Wednesdays 5 - 6 PM at WACC	Instructor
	David R. Bowen 2311 A/AB Wayne State University Detroit, MI 48202	Daytime tel: (313) 577-1498 Evening tel: (248) 549-8518 FAX: (313) 577-8585 Home Page:     http://www.cll.wayne.edu/isp/drbowen Email: d.r.bowen@wayne.edu

Last updated: 1/20/03
Link back to course Welcome Page

GST 2710 Syllabus
Computers and Society
Winter 2003 (Bowen)

This class primarily uses Microsoft Office 2000 under the Windows operating system.

Instructor: David R. Bowen

Office Hours:
* Wednesdays 5 to 6 PM at WACC, on days when classes are in session
But call or email anytime!

Office Location: 2311 A/AB Building
(ISP offices, 5700 Cass at the northeast corner of Palmer and Cass)
Wayne State University
Detroit, MI 48202

Work Phone (ISP office): 313-577-1498
ISP FAX: 313-577-8585
Home Phone: 248-549-8518
At Ford: 313-390-2155
E-mail: d.r.bowen@wayne.edu

Course Description and Objectives:

GST 2710 is part of the Undergraduate General Education Program and meets the General Education Computer Literacy (CL) Requirements at Wayne State.

The purpose of this course is to make students computer literate in an interdisciplinary context. Therefore the objectives are not only to provide students with hands-on experience with commonly used applications such as Word-processing, Database, Spreadsheet, Drawing, and Painting programs, but also to introduce the conceptual underpinnings of the digital computer to to enable them to better grasp its strengths and limitations as a tool in solving a variety of problems, to introduce students to its architecture and how it functions as an information processing system through the addition of appropriate peripherals, to introduce students to methods of communication with a variety of information sources, and to examine the impacts of computers on society with particular emphasis on the transformation of values, and the nature of work in the changing culture.

The course will cover three major areas:

1. Computer Concepts and Computer Architecture
   1. Structure of a computer
      1. Binary representation of information
      2. How machines do logic
      3. Interrelationship of the various parts of the computer
      4. Operating Systems
   2. Peripherals (Floppy and Hard Disks, Printers, Monitors, etc.)
   3. Software (Machine Language, Programming Language, and Applications)
   4. Personal/Mainframe Computer communication
   5. Client / Server architecture
   6. Internet and World Wide Web
2. Laboratory work using selected software (Microsoft Works on DOS/Windows)
   1. Word Processing
   2. Spreadsheets
   3. Database Analysis
   4. Charting
   5. Introduction to programming (QBasic)
   6. Internet and World Wide Web applications
3. The Impact of Computers on Society
   1. Artificial Intelligence
   2. Computer Applications - Cars, Electronic Mail, etc.
   3. Intellectual Property
   4. Impact on the Workplace
   5. Impact on the Economy
   6. Impact on Values

For students who wish to fulfill the General Education computer competency requirement in other ways, you may use a course from the Computer Science Department or Business School as an alternative, or take the general Computer Competency exam.

Student Rights and Privileges

Students can appeal grades, assignments or practices that they regard as unfair as follows:

1. Instructor - David Bowen, tel (313) 577-1498
2. Course Coordinator - Thomas Moeller, tel (313) 623-4365 (beeper/cell)
3. Literacy and Critical Thought Coordinator - Andre Furtado, tel (313) 577-4612
4. Director, Interdisciplinary Studies Program - Stuart Henry, tel (313) 577-6566
5. Dean, College of Lifelong Learning - Paula Wood (Interim) tel (313) 577-4675
6. University Ombudsperson (student advocate) - Victoria Anderson, tel (313) 577-3487
7. University President - Irvin D. Reid, tel (313) 577-2230

The Instructor is usually the first step. Those trying to start at the upper levels are usually referred back to the lower levels first.

Course web site:

All handouts and additional materials will be on the course web site on the WSU blackboard system at http://blackboard.wayne.edu

Materials:

GST 2710 Texts, available at Barnes and Noble Bookstore at WACC

1. Microsoft Office 2000 Professional, Course Technology / Thomson Learning ISBN # 0-7600-6961-1
2. Computers, Society and Technology.

Other required materials:

1. Box of High Density 3-1/2" Floppy Disks. This may be purchased at the University Bookstore, Radio Shack, or any computer store, for about $10, before the 2nd class. You will use these disks to store your work between lab sessions. Treat them carefully. You can damage the disks and lose the stored information because of heat, cold, strong electric or magnetic fields, dust or debris in the bottom of a briefcase or handbag, and bending or twisting. Seriously consider buying a diskette carrier. If you buy a formatted floppy diskette, make sure that it is formatted for Windows IBM PCs and compatibles.
2. Wayne State University email account. WSU gives students free accounts for Internet access and for Internet email. these accounts are issued to students during their first semester, and are valid for one calendar year after leaving the University. Notification of your AccessID and Password is sent by postcard to your home address listed with the University. If you were a student as of Fall 1997, you were notified at that time. If you entered after Fall 1997, you were notified during your first semester. If you have lost the notification, you can apply in person for a renotification in the C&IT computer center in the Adamany Undergraduate Library (telephone 313-577-4778)
   
   You can also access the Internet free from WSU computer labs, including the WACC, and the computers in the Adamany Undergraduate Library. Other institutions, such as libraries and town halls, provide free Internet access. Free web-based email is available from www.hotmail.com, www.yahoo.com or www.netscape.com, among others.

Dates of Major Evaluations:

• Half hour Quiz on 
• Four hour midterm exam on the ninth class (March 19)
• Half hour Quiz on April 2
• Four hour final exam on April 30

In each weekly Agenda there will be a list of what will be covered during that class. The Quizzes and Exams will be taken from these lists.

Grading:

There will be weekly homework assignments, regular quizzes, several computer assignments and two examinations. Homework is due the week following the assignment.

The course grade will be constituted as follows:

• Weekly Assignments: 20%
  ( May be reduced if there is a significant difference between quiz and exam performance and homework performance)
• Quizzes 15%
• Attendance 15%
  No missed classes gets averaged in as a 100 (A+)
  The 100 gets lowered by ten points (one grade) for each missed class, to a minimum of 50 (E).
• Midterm Exam 25%
• Final Exam 25%

Assignment Schedule

NOTE: Homework is listed by the class by which the work is due. Reading and problem homework should be started no later than the week before that shown on the schedule.

Late Assignments, Missed Classes, Quizzes or Exams

There will be no penalty for late assignments. However, from April 2 on, I will accept no more than two labs or weekly assignments each class, and only one lab or weekly weekly assignment on the day of the Final Exam (April 30). If you miss a class, download and review the Agenda and then contact David Bowen as soon as possible. You can download the Agendas from any computer that has Internet access, so you should be able to do this even before the missed class, if you are traveling for example. In other words, there are very few acceptable excuses for letting this drag on. There will also be a makeup assignment in lieu of the class time.

If you miss a Quiz or Exam, contact David Bowen as soon as possible, if you want a makeup (if there is no makeup, the missing Quiz or Exam gets averaged in as a "0," which really pulls down a course grade. If more than one person misses, there will normally only be a single makeup session. I will give the group needing a makeup a couple of times, and let them figure out the schedule and tell me. If you do not contact me quickly after missing a Quiz/Exam, notice that the makeup time may be very difficult for you.

Grading Scale

The "-" range for a grade is the lower three points, and gets averaged at the middle. For example, A- is 90 to 92 and gets averaged as 91. The "+" for a grade is the top three points, and gets averaged at the middle. For example, B+ is 87 to 89 and gets averaged as 88. A grade of 100 is an A+. Note that the highest grade recognized by the University is A.

Assessment by 4th Week:

The instructor is required to provide the University with a written assessment of your performance in GST 2710 by the end of the 4th week of class. In these sections, the assessment will include performance on quizzes, timely purchase of class texts, completion of homework assignments and attendance, and will include suggestions for improvement which will be routed to a counselor

Incompletes will be given in this course only under very exceptional circumstance, as the student cannot be assured of a a computer station in the subsequent terms if the classes are filled to capacity. Under no circumstances will incompletes be given to students who miss two weeks of class in the first 8 weeks of the 16 week term, unless they meet with the instructor before the second absence. Make-up exams will only be given in exceptional circumstances for officially verified medical reasons. The request must come before the actual exam.

Dropping Classes

Do not just stop attending this or any other WSU class. You will still owe tuition and will get a grade, such as E or X, that you do not want on your record. Always use a Drop form to drop a class. These forms are easily availabel through an Academic Counsellor (call (313) 577-0832 for ISP Academic Counsellors). If you have severe problems during the semester, ask the Instructor for an Incomplete (I) that you can make up afterwards, or less, depending on the Instructor.

(for this course, you can turn in work after the Final to count towards a change of grade. I can turn in a change of grade up to the end of the Winter, 2001 semester. You can turn in work up to two weeks before that time.)

Important dates:

• Thursday January 9: Classes begin, last day to file certificate or degree applications
• Thursday January 9 through Thursday January 23: Late open registration, $70 late fee
• Monday January 20: Martin Luther King Day observance - University holiday, no classes.
• Thursday January 23: Last day to register/add. Last day for tuition cancellation for dropped classes.
• Friday January 24 through Wednesday February 5: Courses officially dropped through this period will not appear on your academic record. If you withdraw from all classes, your academic record will bear the notation "Complete Withdrawal". You are contractually liable for the tuition for courses dropped.
• Monday, February 10: After this date, the Instructor's signature is required to drop a course. A grade of "W" is assigned for dropped courses. Classes cannot be dropped by Web/phone
• Monday March 10 through Saturday March 15: Spring recess. No classes.
• Thursday, April 24. Day scheduled as a Monday (i.e. go to your Monday classes, not your Thursday classes today). Last day of classes.
• Friday, April 25. Study day. Last day to drop courses.
• Saturday April 26 through Friday May 2: Final examination period.
• Tuesday May 6: Commencement.

Grading for Course withdrawals:

Students who do not officially withdraw from the course before the drop deadline will be given an E. Students who have reasons for withdrawal after the drop-deadline that are compelling enough to warrant an exception to this policy will only be considered for an exception if they meet with the instructor about the issue allowing no more than 2 consecutive absences or a total of 3 absences to elapse before the meeting. A grade of X will be considered in such cases.

Exceptions to grading policy:

• Students who score an A in the midterm and the final exams will obtain an A in the course.
• Students who score a C or D on the quizzes, and midterm and final examinations can have their grade improved significantly if their attendance and homework is steady and demonstrates their understanding of the concepts.

Students who miss a class are required to pick up the assignment for the following week as soon as possible, and turn in their assignments for the subsequent week on time. The major cause of student failure in the past in this class has been poor attendance, and irregular attention to the course. Very few, if any, students who have done their own homework and attended class regularly have failed this computer class. Student with anticipated work related attendance problems should contact the instructor well in advance. Students with special emergencies should call and leave a message as soon as possible.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

You must have the required materials. Those individuals who chose not to have the required materials will be seriously jeopardizing their chances for success in this class!. Please contact your instructor and counselor immediately if this is a problem for you.

Laboratory work will be involved for the second half of the four hour class period every week. Students will be provided a computer that runs DOS/Windows and the required software, to work with in the lab, and will be assigned software on disk. Texts associated with the software will be used to do exercises. As lab time is limited, students should be well prepared at home to attack their lab assignments efficiently. Almost all students need to use a computer outside of class hours to finish their computer assignments. The classroom presentation is a distillation of the assigned readings. Concentration in the classroom represents the most efficient use of the student's time. Students are encouraged to tape the lecture-discussion part of each class to ensure that the concepts are internalized. It is much more difficult to glean them cold from the readings.

Miscellaneous Notices:

Make sure that all of your lab and homework files are on your floppy diskette before leaving class.

Use the same computer each class.

Save your work frequently, about every 10 minutes, so that it is not lost in a system crash.

It is a good idea to have at least one study buddy in the classroom. If you do not know anyone else, make your neighbor in the classroom your study buddy and be sure to exchange phone numbers. Have your study buddy pick up materials for you in your absence.

Regular and prompt attendance, and attention to computer labs and assigned readings is essential for best results.

Know where your files are! A major cause of lost work and lower grades has been saving work to the hard drive (C:) instead of the floppy diskette (A:).

SHUTTING DOWN A WINDOWS COMPUTER

1. Make sure that all work is saved.
2. Click on the "Start" button (normally at lower left corner of screen)
3. Make sure that "Shut down the computer?" is checked, and then click on the "Yes" or "OK" button
4. If you have any unsaved work, you will be given a last chance to save it at this point
5. Remove floppy diskette
6. If necessary, when the screen announces that it is now safe to shut down the computer, turn off the power