CS 585 Project Proposals

The choice of "projects" for CS 585 is the following.

an analytic paper;
a review;
a survey paper;
an in-class presentation;
an original work of fiction.

Each student must choose two different types of larger assignments. The proposal for the first is due by Feb. 3rd, and the assignment itself is due by March 5th. In the case of an in-class presentation, the proposal should include a (pre-negotiated) date for the presentation, which will occur by March 5th.

The proposal for the second is due April 2nd, and the final talk or demo must be done before classes end; papers, reviews, and stories may be submitted before the end of the scheduled exam (May 6th, at 12:30).

Please make sure to look at the discussion of co-operation on projects and plagiarism.

In-Class Presentations

Your proposal should include a reference to the paper(s) you will be presenting, an outline of your presentation (in true outline form, not sentences/paragraphs, but with more detail that "introduction; technical details; conclusion"!), and a suggested date for a practice presentation with Dr. Goldsmith. Note that you may end up doing more than one practice presentation, and Dr. Goldsmith may ask for revisions of the outline before confirming a presentation date. Plan accordingly.

Sources of technical information

Your material should come from a reputable and refereed source, preferably books, a refereed journal or conference proceedings. Tech reports and random papers found on the web are not acceptable.

When a paper is submitted to a refereed journal, it is read carefully for correctness and presentation by 2--5 experts in the field. It may be read by these experts in several versions before being accepted for publication. It takes anywhere from 4 months to several years from initial submission to publication.
When a paper is submitted to a refereed conference, it is read for innovation, appropriateness to the conference, and sometimes for correctness by 1--3 experts in the field. These referees do not see the version that actually gets printed until it is published. It takes anywhere from 3 to 6 months from initial submission to publication.
The purpose of a tech report is to get a time-stamp on your work. They are not refereed. They "appear" within days of submission.
Anyone can post a paper on the web. Many do.

Reviews

You will list the work of SF that you will be reviewing, cite its dominant ethical theme(s), and outline the review.

Surveys

Your proposal for a written survey will list the ethics papers you will be surveying and their commonalities, and outline the survey. Dr. Goldsmith may ask for revisions of the outline.

If you are doing an in-class presentation, your proposal should also include a suggested date for a practice talk with Dr. Goldsmith. Leave time for additional practices, if Dr. Goldsmith believes they are necessary.

Short Stories

Your proposal should be a story synopsis that makes clear (a) what the ethics theme will be and (b) that you can write readable fiction.

Cooperation

Group programming or survey projects are possible with the consent of the instructor. Students may be encouraged to submit particularly good programming project write-ups or surveys for publication.

The usual applies: plagiarism, copying, or working together without crediting each other will be punished to the fullest extent of university regulations; homeworks due in class will not be accepted after class begins. If this is a problem, they may be submitted before class. Late homeworks accepted only with the usual documentation for illness or family crisis, or in the case of documented hardware failures.
Always back up your work, if possible to another machine or system.