Coursework Descriptions (View All)

Social Networking

Social networking is one of the amazing phenomena of our day. I know almost all of you have Facebook accounts already, but you're going to do something more long-lasting and professionally valuable.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. Each of you will be required to:

  1. Create a LinkedIn account.
  2. Find someone on LinkedIn that you already know and establish a connection.
  3. Send an invitation to someone who is not currently registered with LinkedIn.

Each of these actions is one third of the grade for this assignment.

When you have completed the LinkedIn assignment, you need to email the TA by midnight on the designated due date and let us know that it's completed. If you fail to complete this step by the due date, you can finish it and notify us within 48 hours late for a loss of 1 point. After 48 hours late you lose all of the course grade for this assignment.

Internet Safety Wiki

As a course on Ethics and Computers in Society, I feel it's important to join in the broader Internet community to try and do something of value in the world. As a result I have felt it important to perform some sort of service that relates to the subject of the course.

In Fall 2007, the students of CS 404 launched the Internet Safety Podcast. There is a huge need for this material in the world, and we figured BYU ought to be at the forefront of helping in this area.

Since then, we launched a companion site, the Internet Safety Wiki. Think Wikipedia but the entire topic is Internet Safety, and we manage it here at BYU.

In addition to the Podcast and Wiki, we now have an Internet Safety Twitter feed, and an Internet Safety Group on Facebook.

In 2010 we launched the Internet Safety Project, which is a consolidated portal encapsulating the Podcast and Wiki plus guest bloggers, etc. The updated portal went live during Fall semester 2010. Here is the site for the Internet Safety Project.

We'd like all class members to contribute in some meaningful way to these efforts. The grade for this portion of the course will be awarded in a fairly linear fashion: 1.5 hours invested for each percentage point awarded. Investment time can include research, writing, editing, or any other worthwhile activity that helps the cause. I would encourage a regular contribution each week.

There are three due dates designated for this effort. One third of your hours need to be done by each of these deadlines. By midnight on the due date, you need to email the TA and provide a report of your contribution including hours spent, specific work you performed, research performed, etc.

IMPORTANT: As soon as possible, please register for an account on the Internet Safety Wiki, which will allow you to contribute content. You must email your username to the TA within the first week of the semester.

NOTE: If you have another worthwhile cause that is similar in work structure, but about which you care more deeply, please see the instructor and we will readily consider alternative work of this type.