CS 1590 – Social Implications of Computing Technology
Summer Term: 2067
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Class |
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Time: |
4:30 PM – 6:15 PM |
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Days: |
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Room: |
5129 Sennott Sq. |
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Webpage: |
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Contact Information
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Instructor: Jonathan Misurda |
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Office: |
6404 Sennott Square |
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Email: |
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Office Hours: |
Tues: 1:30-4:30 Thurs: 1:30-4:30 & by appointment |
Description
This course is intended to expose students to issues regarding the social and ethical implications of technology. In recent years, many computer professionals have become increasingly aware of the societal impacts of the increased use of computer technology in everyday life. While technology promises many benefits to our society and economy, there are also well founded concerns that serious problems may arise. This course is intended to introduce students to the main issues surrounding the computerization of society, and to help students understand the development, application, and consequences of information technology as social as well as technical processes. Topics include computerization and the quality of work life, unemployment, personal privacy and freedom of information, ownership and rights to software, and the manageability, risks and accountability of complex systems. The course seeks to foster in students a critical approach to the understanding of the impact of technology in society via the academic skills of reading, writing and argumentation. The course is designed to meet the Program W requirement for undergraduates.
Prerequisites
Departmental permission is required. A college level writing
course would be extremely helpful.
Course Purposes and Goals
This course serves two distinct purposes. The first is to examine current ethical issues in computing and their effects on the users and producers of technology. The second is to further your ability to write compelling, coherent arguments that clearly express facts and your interpretations of them, including such mechanical details as proper citation.
Textbooks
[Required Texts]
Spinello, R. (2003) CyberEthics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace, 2nd edition. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Spinello, R and H. Tavani, eds. (2001) Readings in CyberEthics. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
[Optional but recommended]
Reference manual of English usage such as:
Strunk, W. Jr., and E. B. White (2000) The Elements of Style, 4th edition. Pearson Allyn & Bacon
Note: First edition of The Elements of Style (1918) is online: http://www.bartleby.com/usage/
Or the one you were required to purchase for General Writing (Mine was: The Little, Brown Compact Handbook.)
Class Policies
Papers: There will 3 papers of increasing length assigned throughout the term. They will be typeset in LaTeX, a markup language for technical papers. I will provide a sample to work from. We will learn the basics in the first week of the course. Expect to write around 25 pages this term, and plan your time accordingly.
The papers are to be your own original work. Collaboration or plagiarism will result in a zero on the assignment. Two offenses will result in an F for the course. When in doubt on proper citation and use of external sources, see me first!
Quizzes: There will be short, unannounced quizzes to make sure you are keeping up with the class material.
Participation: Attendance will not be taken, but in such a small class, any absence will be noticed. Several unexcused missed classes will adversely affect your grade. Thoughtful, mature discussion is expected, and will account for a portion of your grade. We may also do a class debate and/or have a discussion leader each class, depending on the circumstances of the course.
Grading
Your grade will be based upon 3 papers, quizzes (the lowest one of which will be dropped), and participation:
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First Paper |
15% |
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Second Paper |
20% |
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Third Paper |
25% |
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Quizzes |
15% |
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Participation |
25% |
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Total |
100% |
The scale for the term will be:
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Percentage |
Letter |
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100 |
A+ |
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95 |
A |
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90 |
A- |
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89 |
B+ |
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85 |
B |
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80 |
B- |
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79 |
C+ |
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75 |
C |
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70 |
C- |
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69 |
D+ |
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65 |
D |
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60 |
D- |
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less than 60 |
F |
Disability Resources and Services:
If you have a disability for which you are requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.
Term Schedule: The daily topics are subject to change depending on our pace. They are there to assist you in the readings so you can focus on those concepts prior to class.
Key:
CE: CyberEthics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace
RCE: Readings in CyberEthics
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Week 1 – (5/16 & 5/18) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 1;
Topics:
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Week 2 – (5/23 & 5/25) |
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Readings for this week: Johnson (RCE: pp. 30-39); Moor (RCE: pp. 40-54)
Topics:
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Week 3 – (5/30 & 6/1) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 2; Lessig (RCE: pp. 135-144);
Topics:
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Week 4 – (6/6 & 6/8) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 3; ACLU (RCE pp. 159-172);
Topics:
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Week 5 – (6/13 & 6/15) |
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Readings for this week: Catudal (RCE pp. 197-213);
Topics:
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Week 6 – (6/20 & 6/22) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 4; Boyle (RCE pp. 273-293); McFarland (RCE pp. 295-304);
Topics:
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Week 7 – (6/27 & 6/29) |
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Readings for this week: Warwick (RCE pp. 305-321); Raymond (RCE pp. 367-396);
Topics:
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Week 8 – (7/4 & 7/6) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 5; Moor (RCE pp. 407-417);
Tuesday, July 4: Independence Day (University closed)
Topics:
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Week 9 – (7/11 & 7/13) |
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Readings for this week: Nissenbaum (RCE pp. 450-461); Fulda (RCE pp. 471-475); Introna (RCE pp. 476-487);
Topics:
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Week 10 – (7/18 & 7/20) |
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Readings for this week: CE Chapter 6; Tavani (RCE pp. 513-524); Manion&Goodrum (RCE pp.525-535);
Topics:
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Week 11 – (7/25 & 7/27) |
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Readings for this week: Searle (http://www.bbsonline.org/documents/a/00/00/04/84/bbs00000484-00/bbs.searle2.html); Turing (http://cogprints.org/499/00/turing.html)
Topics:
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Week 12 – (8/1 & 8/3) |
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Readings for this week: ACM (RCE pp. 625-632); IEEE (RCE pp. 633-640)
Topics:
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