Computer Science Resource Consortium (CSRC) Panel visit to class.  These are recruiters who will be interviewing and hiring VT Computer Science graduates, and so please prepare:

TWO (2) very clear and concrete questions that you would ask a job recruiter. 

Questions that elicit the most useful and concrete answers ask about specific memories, facts, stories, and history, rather than feelings, impressions, and vague general ideas. 

For example (No, you can’t use this example for the assignment - but you can ask this question to the CSRC, and you can write a similar question for the assignment):

Bad:  Do you think that interviews are a good way of judging job applicants, and why?

Better:  What is the question you asked that did the very BEST job of determining whether you wanted to hire an applicant?  What was the answer?

Sept 17 meet in McB 110

What is the mostmost novel ethical issue introduced by cyber technologies?

Name and describe the most novel most novel (new) ethical issue that you can think of that has arisen as a result of computer (cyber) technologies. 

Be sure to explain how it is a new ethical issue, and how computing or cyber technologies give rise to it.

Sept 19

Outline Due Sept 20

Essay Due Sept 27

Write a well-formed, 5-paragraph essay (intro, 3 body points, conclusion).

Write in complete sentences, and be sure to state three substantial and convincing points that you can develop for the outline and essay assignments that follow.

Claim:  Cybertechnology does NOT introduce new ethical issues.

For this outline assignment and the essay, be sure to recognize the following understanding:Computing introduces new conceptual puzzles and dilemmas related to ethics (cyber-ethics) that Tavani refers to as "conceptual muddlesconceptual muddles". These can lead to "policy vacuumspolicy vacuums". We can distinguish between unique technological featuresfeatures and unique ethical issuesissues. New technologies and their capabilities can introduce "conceptual muddles" and/or "policy vacuum", but we should be careful to distinguish "policy vacuums" and "unique ethical issues".

Structure: 5 Paragraphs

Intro

Body (3 points)

Conclusion

What Should it DO?

Attention Interest reader

Funnel Start with broad statement Focus down to thesis Provide Context

Mini-outline Main points (3) All support the thesis

3 REQUIRED Elements

1. Attention-getter - Question - Statistic / Fact- Quote - Joke- Scene - Broad and interesting

2. Sign PostIn this essay I will…Name the 3 body points

3. Thesis statement

I. Introduction (what you are going to say):a. Attention getter: question, imagery, joke, fact/statistic, etc.

b. Signpost: Name the 3 body points (but no need to fully explain or describe them)

c. Thesis statement

II. Name of body point #1 as stated in the intro, used in a sentence that describes the point of the paragraph and directly supports the thesis

a. Specific support statement/evidence 1 for body point #1

b. Specific support statement/evidence 2 for body point #1

c. Specific support statement/evidence 3 for body point #1

III. Transition from last paragraph. Name of body point #2 as stated in the intro, used in a sentence that describes the point of the paragraph and directly supports the thesis

a. Specific support statement/evidence 1 for body point #2

b. Specific support statement/evidence 2 for body point #2

c. Specific support statement/evidence 3 for body point #2

IV. Transition from last paragraph. Name of body point #3 as stated in the intro, used in a sentence that describes the point of the paragraph and directly supports the thesis

a. Specific support statement/evidence 1 for body point #3

b. Specific support statement/evidence 2 for body point #3

c. Specific support statement/evidence 3 for body point #3

V. Conclusion (what you said): a. Summarize the 3 body points.

b. Kicker: Rhetorical question or statement that restates the thesis in a different and summative manner (now that the argument is completed).

c. Refer to a (slightly) broader purpose, situation, or fact that gives the essay purpose or in need of further attention.

I am a movie fanatic. When friends want to know what picture won the Oscar in 1980 or who played the police chief in Jaws, they ask me. My friends, though, have stopped asking me if I want to go out to the movies. The problems in getting to the theater, the theater itself, and the behavior of some patrons are all reasons why I often wait for a movie to show up on TV.

Sample Introduction

"A dog is man's best friend." That common saying may contain some truth, but dogs are not the only animal friend whose companionship people enjoy. For many people, a cat is their best friend. Despite what dog lovers may believe, cats make excellent housepets as they are good companions, they are civilized members of the household, and they are easy to care for.

Sample Introduction (2)

What to Include in each of the 3 body paragraphs

3 points = 3 paragraphsNamed the point from introduction

State in a sentenceDoes this support your thesis?

If not, then delete

Ways to organize the 3 paragraphs

Least to most importantSimplest to complicatedFirst paragraph

Strongest argument Best exampleObvious start point

ChronologicalCause and effect

First of all, just getting to the theater presents difficulties. Leaving a home equipped with a TV and a video recorder isn't an attractive idea on a humid, cold, or rainy night. Even if the weather cooperates, there is still a thirty-minute drive to the theater down a congested highway, followed by the hassle of looking for a parking space. And then there are the lines. After hooking yourself to the end of a human chain, you worry about whether there will be enough tickets, whether you will get seats together, and whether many people will sneak into the line ahead of you.

In the first place, people enjoy the companionship of cats. Many cats are affectionate. They will snuggle up and ask to be petted, or scratched under the chin. Who can resist a purring cat? If they're not feeling affectionate, cats are generally quite playful. They love to chase balls and feathers, or just about anything dangling from a string. They especially enjoy playing when their owners are participating in the game. Contrary to popular opinion, cats can be trained. Using rewards and punishments, just like with a dog, a cat can be trained to avoid unwanted behavior or perform tricks. Cats will even fetch!

Once you have made it to the box office and gotten your tickets, you are confronted with the problems of the theater itself. If you are in one of the run-down older theaters, you must adjust to the musty smell of seldom-cleaned carpets. Escaped springs lurk in the faded plush or cracked leather seats, and half the seats you sit in seem loose or tilted so that you sit at a strange angle. The newer twin and quad theaters offer their own problems. Sitting in an area only one-quarter the size of a regular theater, moviegoers often have to put up with the sound of the movie next door. This is especially jarring when the other movie involves racing cars or a karate war and you are trying to enjoy a quiet love story. And whether the theater is old or new, it will have floors that seem to be coated with rubber cement. By the end of a movie, shoes almost have to be pried off the floor because they have become sealed to a deadly compound of spilled soda, hardening bubble gum, and crushed Ju-Jubes.

In the second place, cats are civilized members of the household. Unlike dogs, cats do not bark or make other loud noises. Most cats don't even meow very often. They generally lead a quiet existence. Cats also don't often have "accidents." Mother cats train their kittens to use the litter box, and most cats will use it without fail from that time on. Even stray cats usually understand the concept when shown the box and will use it regularly. Cats do have claws, and owners must make provision for this. A tall scratching post in a favorite cat area of the house will often keep the cat content to leave the furniture alone. As a last resort, of course, cats can be declawed.

Some of the patrons are even more of a problem than the theater itself. Little kids race up and down the aisles, usually in giggling packs. Teenagers try to impress their friends by talking back to the screen, whistling, and making what they consider to be hilarious noises. Adults act as if they were at home in their own living rooms and comment loudly on the ages of the stars or why movies aren't as good anymore. And people of all ages crinkle candy wrappers, stick gum on their seats, and drop popcorn tubs or cups of crushed ice and soda on the floor. They also cough and burp, squirm endlessly in their seats, file out for repeated trips to the rest rooms or concession stand, and elbow you out of the armrest on either side of your seat.

Lastly, one of the most attractive features of cats as housepets is their ease of care. Cats do not have to be walked. They get plenty of exercise in the house as they play, and they do their business in the litter box. Cleaning a litter box is a quick, painless procedure. Cats also take care of their own grooming. Bathing a cat is almost never necessary because under ordinary circumstances cats clean themselves. Cats are more particular about personal cleanliness than people are. In addition, cats can be left home alone for a few hours without fear. Unlike some pets, most cats will not destroy the furnishings when left alone. They are content to go about their usual activities until their owners return.

Answer questions or problems posedAllude to the pattern usedRestate the thesis but do NOT duplicateSummarize the three main points Final statement, suggestions, further points,

other resources

After arriving home from the movies one night, I decided that I was not going to be a moviegoer anymore. I was tired of the problems involved in getting to the movies and dealing with the theater itself and some of the patrons. The next day I arranged to have cable TV service installed in my home. I may now see movies a bit later than other people, but I'll be more relaxed watching box office hits in the comfort of my own living room.

Conclusion (movies)

Cats are low maintenance, civilized companions. People who have small living quarters or less time for pet care should appreciate these characteristics of cats. However, many people who have plenty of space and time still opt to have a cat because they love the cat personality. In many ways, cats are the ideal housepet.

Conclusion (cats)

Tips and Exercises

• Use action verbs / words (not “to be”)• Clarity and economy • Write it down, revise, re-read, revise, revise• Represent the opposing viewpoint fairly• Don't plagiarize - try to use your own words (unless

quoting is purposeful)• Keep notes when READING

– Not summary but thoughts that connect to you

Minimize use of the word 'is'.

Bad: Music piracy is an important ethical issue for consumers, the music industry, and the government.

Better: Music piracy impacts consumers, the music industry, and the government.

Hard, fast rule: Use only one "to be" verb per essay. This applies to all forms of the verb:

is are am were will be etc.

Note that you CAN use the present continuous verb tense -- the phrase "I am walking up the stairs" does NOT violate the rule. "To be" acts as an auxiliary verb in this instance.

Qualify ambiguous words

Bad: The Challenger disaster changed the face of the US space program. It continues to affect the way we perceive NASA even today. (What affects the way who perceives NASA?)

Better: The Challenger disaster changed the face of the US space program. The tragedy continues to affect the way Americans perceive NASA even today.

Hard, fast rule: The following words must always be qualified: • this • that • these • those • it • they (OK, sometimes you can get away with this one)

Eliminate content-free phrases

Bad: In order to control costs, the committee must vote against implementing the new policy.

Better: To control costs, the committee must vote against implementing the new policy.

Hard, fast rule: For the most part, your essays will be limited to one page. Eliminate meaningless phrases like "in order to".

Avoid passive voice– Bad: The new code of ethics was drafted

by the ACM. – Better: The ACM drafted a new code of

ethics. – Hard, fast rule: There are occasions where

the passive voice sounds better or suits the situation, but they are few and far between. Make sure that in your sentences, the subject "operates on" the object. The object should not be "operated on by" the subject.

Eliminate misplaced modifiers Bad: Put modifiers as close as you possibly

can to the word being modified.

Better: Put modifiers as close to the word being modified as you possibly can.

Hard, fast rule: Put modifiers as close to the word being modified as you possibly can.

Sometimes this is a judgment call: "Put modifiers as close as possible to the word being modified" changes the sentence slightly but looks even more professional than just moving the modifier.