First Year Seminar 102
Robotics, Computing, and Society

Course Web Page

A web page will be maintained for this course.  The web page will include the schedule for the course, all reading assignments, programming assignments, example programs, and other useful information, including announcements to the class.  I expect you to check the web page regularly.

http://www.denison.edu/~bressoud/fys102-f11/

Course Work

Midterm Tests:

In order to provide frequent feedback on how well you are progressing and mastering the material in this course, we will hold tests approximately every four weeks, the first scheduled for Friday, September 23rd.  The majority of the material on the written exams will come from the robot programming topics, although each exam will also include material from the readings or movies. All exams are closed book, closed notes, and may not be made up. We will also have a cumulative final exam, scheduled on Saturday Dec. 17th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.

Robot/Python Programming:

A significant portion of your grade requires you to master and demonstrate programming skills in the form of Lab and Programming Projects. In general, there will be some type of homework due each week, be it a writing assignment (see below) or a programming assignment. The programming assignments will have part that is worked on and accomplished in a group of two students called a "programming pair". But each assignment will also have some additional work to be completed individually.

We will begin programming labs together during class time, but significant lab work will be done on your own time, and thus it is very important that you allocate sufficient time for them. Late assignments are not accepted, with one exception: each student is allowed a single late submission over the course of the semester, no questions asked. If you want to hand in an assignment late, you must tell me so on the day it is due, and you will have one additional week to complete it. You (and your partner) will have access to the robots during staffed lab hours evenings through the week.

You may discuss programming assignments with other students in the class in terms of how to approach the problem, but the answers must be your own. You may not get help on programs from any students outside the class. You may, however, seek out the help of the Computer Science fellows, who will hold regular hours at Olin Hall. In addition, you are always welcome, and in fact strongly encouraged, to come see me for help. My office hours are there for a reason ... use them to your advantage!

Class Participation/Discussion Lead:

This is a discussion and seminar course as well as a domain course in robotic programming and general artificial intelligence issues. As students, you bear a great deal of the responsibility for the success of the course. This will require significant amounts of reading, written analysis, and class participation. You will be espected to actively investigate the course material and to express yourself clearly and respectfully in class discussions. For each seminar meeting, the assigned readings will form the basis for our class discussions. Thus, it is very important for everyone to complete the readings and to spend some time thinking about the issues before coming to class. To facilitate this, students who are _not_ in charge of presenting that day will be required to post a short (1-2 page) written response to the readings on the class Piazza web board, by 11pm the night before class. Your responses should not be summaries of the readings; rather, they should be the product of the reading process itself -- questions that occurred to you, ideas that you found particularly interesting, points that were not clear, connections to other material, inside or outside class, etc., and should include two or three questions for discussion.

Each discussion seminar will be led by 2 or 3 students, and each student will be required to be a discussion leader at least twice over the course of the class. Discussion leadership as well as Piazza postings will be evaluated as part of your course grade.

Written Assignments:

As an FYS 102 class, we will integrate various forms of writing into our investigation of robotics. First, as noted above, you will have numerous opportunities for forms of exploratory writing as you prepare for the discussion seminars and reflect and think about the readings and movies. During the semester, we will write three shorter essays, beginning with a simple descriptive essay in week 1, and progressing to more question and problem solution/thesis style writing in the subsequent two essays. Finally, you will have the opportunity to embark on an investigation into a topic related to robotics and will develop a longer thesis based paper researching and presenting a thesis related to your chosen topic.

Policies and Student Responsibilities

Participation and Attendance

In general, we would like everyone to do their part to make this an enjoyable and interactive experience. Hence in addition to attending class, we would like you to actively participate by asking questions, joining in our discussions, etc. Note that there is a significant portion of your grade attributed to class participation.  Any day that you do not attend class, you (by definition) do not participate, and so be very careful about missing class, as it will affect your grade.

Your attendance is expected at each class meeting. Through the class participation portion of the grade, I will reduce your grade for absences.  Up to 3 excused absences will be tolerated without affecting your grade. Such absences should be communicated to me in advance.

Readings and In-class Material

You are responsible for the content of reading assignments, lectures and handouts, as well as announcements and schedule changes made in class, whether or not you are present. If you must miss a class, you are responsible to get what you missed.

It is very important that you keep up with the assigned reading. Read your book on a daily basis. Be especially sure to read the material in the appropriate chapter before coming to class so you will be ready to ask questions. All reading assignments are listed on the class web page. The material in the course is, by necessity, cumulative. Be warned that if you fall behind, you will not be able to catch up easily.

Disability Accomodation

Any student who thinks he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately as soon as possible to discuss his or her specific needs. I rely on the Academic Support & Enrichment Center in 102 Doane to verify the need for reasonable accommodations based on documentation on file in that office.

Academic Integrity

Proposed and developed by Denison students, passed unanimously by DCGA and Denison’s faculty, the Code of Academic Integrity requires that instructors notify the Associate Provost of cases of academic dishonesty, and it requires that cases be heard by the Academic Integrity Board. Further, the code makes students responsible for promoting a culture of integrity on campus and acting in instances in which integrity is violated.

Academic honesty, the cornerstone of teaching and learning, lays the foundation for lifelong integrity. Academic dishonesty is intellectual theft. It includes, but is not limited to, providing or receiving assistance in a manner not authorized by the instructor in the creation of work to be submitted for evaluation. This standard applies to all work ranging from daily homework assignments to major exams. Students must clearly cite any sources consulted—not only for quoted phrases but also for ideas and information that are not common knowledge. Neither ignorance nor carelessness is an acceptable defense in cases of plagiarism. It is the student’s responsibility to follow the appropriate format for citations. Students should ask their instructors for assistance in determining what sorts of materials and assistance are appropriate for assignments and for guidance in citing such materials clearly.

For further information about the Code of Academic Integrity see http://www.denison.edu/about/integrity.html