CS492/692 - Summer 2018- Role Playing Exercises

Please read the RPE requirements first.

Each student in the class must select ONE of the nine RPEs, RPE1 -- RPE9, listed below to complete. However, see the amendment below. Each RPE team consists of two or three students, preferrably two. The timeslot for each RPE is indicated in the b8armstr@uwaterloo.ca before May 14. NOTE: Requests received before May 2 at 10:00am will be ignored. In the request, you should list your TOP THREE preferences, each consisting of the RPE's identifying number and your preferred side, "A" or "B". You may also indicate in your request your preferred teammates, and even your preferred opppsing team. If you request teammates or an apposing team, the students involved must be cc'ed on your request, and they must indicate by their e-mail to Ben that they willing to join you in the way you describe.

You will assigned to an RPE, as e-mail is received, so this is more or less first-come, first-served. If you do not express a preference by the deadline, you will be assigned to some remaining spot in the RPEs. You will be able to see to which RPE you have been assigned in the table below.

The list of students assigned to RPEs will be continuously updated on the course Website, to show what is still available to select. Please note that the strategy for getting positioned into an RPE team is always a little bit tricky; if you send your e-mail request too late, you may find out that you cannot get your first preference and you will simply be put into an RPE which still needs a team member.

On the positive side, you, as any student, should be capable of arguing on either of the sides of any of the RPEs. It is often an enjoyable challenge to discover arguments to make for a position that seems, on the surface, quite different from your own inclinations.

Please note that all students are expected to ATTEND all RPEs, to present questions to the teams in the discussion period. The TAs will be registering attendance and recording your participation. In addition, both teams in the RPE will be required to post up their position statements on the newsgroup in advance of the oral presentations. This provides another opportunity for discussion on the topic. Since our class size is in fact somewhat large, the newsgroup often becomes an ideal forum to voice opinions on the topic after the RPE, and should be perceived as the place where you can add your comments, if the TA was unable to select you from the audience, during the RPE.

You will also complete by 10:00am on July 25, Assignment 6 that records the RPEs that you attended and that includes a longer commentary on ONE of the RPEs.

• Role-playing exercise 1: Censorship of electronic communication in foreign countries
• Role-playing exercise 2: Piracy of software
• Role-playing exercise 3: Universal IDs
• Role-playing exercise 4: Personalized advertising on the Web
• Role-playing exercise 5: Extracurricular computer use
• Role-playing exercise 6: Net neutrality
• Role-playing exercise 7: Professional responsibility when workers are displaced
• Role-playing exercise 8: Computers and children
• Role-playing exercise 9: E-Learning for university-level courses

Amendment

Any group of from 4 to 6 students may propose to substitute RPE10 or RPE11 for any fully unassigned RPEx (= one of RPE1 -- RPE9) to be given on the scheduled date of RPEx if none of the proposers is already assigned to another RPEy (= one of RPE1 -- RPE9). Alternatively, any group of from 4 to 6 students, some of whom are currently assigned to one single RPEx (= one of RPE1 -- RPE9), may propose to substitute RPE10 or RPE11 for RPEx to be given on the scheduled date of RPEx if all of the students currently assigned to RPEx agree to the substitution and none of the proposers is already assigned to another RPEy (= one of RPE1 -- RPE9).

Note that we are trying to make sure that a substitute RPE is fully assigned from the beginning. We are trying also to ensure that no one abandons a currently possibly partially assigned RPEx to join a substitute RPE unless everyone abandons RPEx for the substitute RPE together.

• Role-playing exercise 10: Smartphones and the right against self-incrimination
• Role-playing exercise 11: Fake News

Current Assignment of Students to REPs