Alan Turing's scientific achievements rank among the most profound and influential of the twentieth century. In the 1930's, over a decade before the first physical realizations, Turing proposed and understood at a theoretical level the modern computer as we know it, with all its power and complexity. Before going on to develop some fundamental insights into artificial intelligence and mathematical biology, he played a central role in the British effort to break the German ciphers during World War II. Convicted of indecency in 1952 for engaging in a sexual relationship with another man, stripped of his security clearance, and then chemically castrated, he died tragically only a few years later. In this tutorial, we will examine Turing's life and contributions in order to explore various questions: What is the relationship between theory and practice? How do a society's laws and moral values affect scientists and their work? What is the role of secrets in both national security and one's personal life?

We will read extensively from the following two books:

• Alan Turing: The Enigma, The Centenary Edition by Andrew Hodges
• The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold

The official objectives of the Tutorial at Grinnell College are to introduce students to:

• College-level writing forms and expectations; tutorial is a writing-intensive course.
• Critical reading skills.
• College-level oral communication skills.
• A librarian and library resources.
• Academic honesty policy and practices.

There will be four papers due throughout the semester. I will provide more details about these papers as the semester progresses, but they will incorporate different types of writing for various audiences. For planning purposes, so that you can schedule your time more effectively, the due dates for the papers will be:

• Tuesday, September 17
• Thursday, October 10
• Tuesday, November 12
• Thursday, December 5

For each paper, you will be able to do one rewrite. If you choose to rewrite, your paper grade will be the average of the two grades.

One of the papers will also be coupled with a short oral presentation. We will discuss this in more detail later in the semester.

There will be a thread on the discussion board (on PWeb) corresponding to each day of class. The first post in each thread will highlight some important themes from the reading, and will pose a few questions. Before the corresponding class, you should post in this thread at least once with your own thoughts about the questions, possibly along with some questions of your own. I strongly encourage you to write responses separately and then copy/paste them in. We will use this thread as a springboard for our discussions in class.

In groups of two, you will responsible for leading discussion in class on two separate occasions. I will provide the reading assignments for the corresponding class. Your job will be to read ahead, create the first post on the discussion board, and then lead discussion in class for 30 - 45 minutes. When you are responsible for leading a discussion, you must post to the discussion board by the following time:

The Writing Lab, located in ARH 132, is an amazing resource on campus. The professional staff will comment on drafts of your papers, and give advice about how to improve your writing (strengthen sentences, make paragraphs more defined and coherent, improve transitions, clarify and extend your thesis, etc.). Everyone must schedule at least one appointment with the Writing Lab this semester in concert with one of the four papers. Janet Carl, the director of the Writing Lab, will also come to class a few times to hold short writing workshops.

We are also very fortunate to have a peer writing mentor for our course. Lena Parkhurst, a junior majoring in English and Spanish, will hold extra office hours to provide another valuable perspective on your writing. Everybody must meet with her at least once this semester to discuss a paper. Lena will also attend some classes and lead a couple of discussions.

Consider spending some time in the Reading Lab, where you can learn to strengthen your verbal skills, reading efficiency, and study strategies.

Attendance and punctuality are expected. If you will be absent from or late to a class, you should contact me at least 30 minutes before the beginning of that session. One unexcused absence and one unexcused tardiness will not affect your grade, but more certainly will.

Becky Yoose will be our course librarian, and will run a course session to introduce the class to the library resources and research at Grinnell. If you have library questions, or want help for any of your classes, do not hesitate to contact her.

I will distribute a booklet about Academic honesty policies at Grinnell College. We will spend one class discussing this booklet along with the college procedures for adjudicating suspected violations.

Students with learning, physical, or psychiatric disabilities enrolled in this course that may need disability-related classroom accommodations are encouraged to make an office appointment with me in first few weeks of class. You will need to provide documentation of your disability to the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Advising, Joyce Stern, located on the third floor of the JRC.

If you have a religious observance that conflicts with your participation in the course, please come speak with me as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.