CSE/CJ 429  Cybersecurity

Paper (20% of grade)

Topics
  Any topic related to cybersecurity will be acceptable, subject to 
  approval by Dr. Enbody.  The purpose of this paper is to strectch ones
  knowledge of cybersecurity out of ones comfort zone. This description
  is purposefully vague in order to allow a wide variety of topics.
  To encourage that breadth, I will not be making suggestions, but 
  instead I will engage in a dialog based on the student's starting
  point of interest.

Length
  The length limit is 5 pages.  Fonts and margins must be reasonable -- if 
  fonts are too small, it will be hard for me to read which will naturally 
  hurt the grade.  The length includes everything except the bibliography.
  A good short paper is much harder to write than a long paper.

Theme & Title
  A good paper has a theme.  Think about it before writing.
  You must have a title (and it should be related to your theme).

  If appropriate, you are encouraged to have an opinion and to take a stance 
  on issues you cover.  It is correct to cover both sides of an issue, but 
  for this paper take sides and have an opinion.  Taking ownership of an
  issue adds some passion (not too much!) which results in a more 
  interesting paper to read.

Audience
  When writing a paper you need to consider your audience.  For this
  paper your audience is another student in the class.  That is, a 
  person who likely does not know much about what you are writing about,
  but knows the basic cybersecurity issues.  You should be able to hand
  your paper to another student in the class, and they will be able to
  read it, understand it, and find it interesting.

References
  Cite all references used.  Multiple references are expected (e.g.
  greater than five), and at least two must be archived in a library.
  Encyclopedias are not appropriate as primary sources, but are useful
  as a starting point (note that wikipedia is an encyclopedia).
  Use some standard style such as MLA, Chicago, etc.
  (http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html)
  
Plagiarism
  Plagarism is unacceptable and will result in a zero grade in the course.
  If you have any questions about particular circumstances, contact 
  Dr. Enbody.

Proposal
  Submit a title and brief description of your chosen topic for approval
  by Dr. Enbody.  The earlier you submit a topic the earlier you will
  get approval.  In most cases, I hope to make suggestions to improve
  the topic.  Submit by email to enbody@cse.msu.edu

Paper Submission
  Submit an electronic version emailed to enbody@cse.msu.edu.  Word, PDF, 
  and LaTeX are accepted.  Other formats should be cleared with Dr. Enbody.

Grading: 70% content
         30% writing (theme, grammar, spelling, usage, etc.)
Dates:
  Proposal due: October 14
  Paper due:    November 25 (before midnight)