CS 4000 Computerization in Society

Spring 2000 - Section A (Wednesday)

CONTENTS

• Overview
• Schedule
• Course Description
• Course Objectives
• Teaching Philosophy
• Grading
• General Writing Assignment Guidelines
• Homework Assignments
  • Homework #1
  • Homework #2
  • Homework #3
  • Homework #4
  • Homework #5
• Newsgroups

OVERVIEW

 

General
Instructor	Peter Freeman  Office: CCB Room 156  Phone: 404-894-4222  Email: freeman@cc.gatech.edu  Hours: By Appointment with Linda Williams (lindah@cc) 4-8357
Text	Computer Ethics and Social Values D. Johnson & H. Nissenbaum
Time & Location	Wednesday - 8:05 AM - 9:55 AM - CCB 101
Teaching Assistant
Class Schedule	Schedule (to be created)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

As a 4000-level course, Computerization in Society is offered primarily for seniors.  For undergraduates majoring in computer science, this is a required course.  Courses in the ethical considerations and social impact of computing have become an important component of computer science curricula because, as computer scientists, technologists, and engineers, we have a special responsibility to be well informed about the social consequences of the technologies we create.  A well-educated computer professional is one who is aware of both the opportunities and problems created by computerization.  As society becomes increasingly more dependent on computing, today's computing professional is challenged not only by decisions about technical issues, but also about the impacts of those choices on local and global communities.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course explores computing as a social process and will introduce you to the ethical and social responsibilities shared by all computing professionals.  The course emphasizes both knowledge and skill.  The primary objectives for the course are to:

o Understand how computing is changing the world.

o Understand how computing impacts "real" people.

o Learn how to critically analyze situations of computer use, identifying the issues, consequences and viewpoints.

As a part of your general education, the course will also help you learn to:

o Write coherent and well-structured critiques of situations.

o Work and interact collaboratively in groups about key issues in computerization and the social aspects of computers.
 

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

The primary purpose of this course is to help you develop into responsible and effective professionals by helping you to discover the ethical and social responsibilities shared by all computing professionals as well as the social implications of the technology you will be creating and promoting after graduation.

This is not something you can learn by instruction.  Only you can learn.  As instructor, I can only guide and assist you.  Thus, all of the class activities are designed to help you learn.

I make intensive use of classroom discussions and analytical writing assignments.  You will be given many opportunities to express your positions on various situations where computerization is having an impact on such topics as: the economy and labor markets, work life, public safety, consumer rights, intellectual property, individual privacy, social stratification, democracy, education, gender bias, national security, health, and so on.

You will be expected to participate actively in discussions.  On any given issue, you may be asked to summarize and criticize reading assignments from the text or articles that you have read.
 

GRADING

 

Weekly Assignments	30%
Term Paper	30%
Class participation	30%
Mid-Term	10%

All weekly assignments and the term paper are required for passing the course.

GENERAL WRITING ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES

Late Policy:

Papers are due at the start of class on the due date, unless otherwise specified. Late work will be penalized,but all assignments must still be completed for a passing grade.

Academic Honesty:

All students are expected to maintain traditional standards of academic integrity by giving proper credit for all work referenced, quoted, etc.  Unless otherwise stated, all work is individual work by each student.

Technical Format:

The most important thing to do in any assignment is to show that you have thought about the topic and gained some understanding, but grading also takes technical format into account.

All written assignments must be prepared using a word processor.
Each assignment's page count assumes a double-spaced paper set in Times 12 point font with the default margins of Microsoft Word (1.25" left/right , 1" top/bottom).

Each paper should clearly identify the author(s), date, and assignment number.
If the assignment discusses an article, a proper citation for that article (author, title/headline, publication name, date, and page number or URL)  must be included in the paper. In addition, at least the first page of the article should be attached. Photocopies are acceptable.

Writing Style:

I expect all assignments to be grammatical with accurate spelling.  All writing assignments are expected to be spell checked AND proof read.  Incomplete sentences will not be read.  The following book in the Georgia Tech Library will assist you in preparing your written assignments:

Strunk, William.  The Elements of Style, 3rd Edition, Macmillan, New York, 1979

It is an excellent "writer's companion" available in paperback at most bookstores and at http://www.cc.columbia.edu/acis/bartleby/strunk/

 

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

Homework #1

• Pick a short article, preferably from traditional, print media that describes a situation in
  which computing technology is having, or will have, an impact.
• Abstract the article's content in one paragraph.
• Analyze the potential impact, identifying the key issue(s).
• End by indicating the connection between this issue and one or more of the assigned readings.
• Your paper should not exceed two pages.
• Due:  5 PM, Wednesday, January 26, 2000 (due to Linda Williams - CCB 157)

Homework #2

• Due at start of class on February 9.
• Should not exceed 4 pages.
• Choose a recent article that raises (either implicitly or explicitly) an issue concerning inappropriate or criminal or unethical behavior and computers (the subject of our reading so far).
• Give a one paragraph abstract of the article.
• Clearly identify the issue raised.
• Analyze the impact by giving at least one major and one minor positive impact and at least one major and one minor negative impact.
• End your paper by stating your opinion of whether or not the overall impact will be positive or negative and why you have that opinion.

Homework #3

• Due date #1: Monday, February 14, 5pm. Send email to due to freeman@cc with the names of the two people on your team AND a *proposed* topic (see below). Feedback will be given in class on 2/16.
• Due date #2: Wednesday, March 1, in class.  Report (see below)
• Objective:  Gather data from "real people" to try to confirm, deny, or further inform some issue regarding privacy and computing.
• Pick the issue from a recent article.  The DoubleClick situation was used in class as an illustration. Do NOT choose this situation specifically.
• Gather data from at least three people that are NOT other Tech students and that are not computing professionals. i.e. They should be people whose jobs/lives are not focused on computers. This is a very informal and unstructured bit of field work. You can use a questionnaire, have interviews, etc. Please understand that there is a whole discipline of doing field work that one should utilize to do this type of thing properly. My intent here is to simply make sure that you have some meaningful interaction with non-computing people on the subject of privacy.
• Your report should be no more than five pages and include:

1. Statement of the issue, reference to the source of the issue,
2. description of your field work, results of your field work, and
3. a brief summary of what you learned through the field work.
   

Homework #4

• DUE: Proposal by February 25th, 5 pm, via email (Subject: HW4)
  Paper - Wednesday, March 22nd, at the start of class.
• For this writing assignment, your task is to write a book report on a full-length book that you have read this term.
• The book should have a strong relationship to the themes of the course. We will mention several in class, but good sources of ideas include the book review sections of Business Week and the New York Times, a good book store or other sources. It should expand your knowledge in some significant way.
• The book you read may serve as one of your resources for your term paper.
• Your report should be at least five full pages and should provide a readable summary of the main theme(s) of the book, and, in addition, provide your opinions about the book. You may then use this material in your term paper, but treat it as an external quotation or a source that is clearly identified. (We will discuss this in class.)
  

Homework #5

 

NEWSGROUPS (links pending)

• Instructor announcements

newsgroup git.cc.class.cs4000a.announce

• Student discussions

git.cc.class.cs4000a.general

 

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