CS 4001A - Computing, Society, and Professionalism
Spring 2006

 

  Note: The final exam will be on May 2nd (tuesday) at 9:00am - 10:50am. It will cover the reading assignments from the two textbooks.

 

 

Meeting Times: Monday, Wednesday, Friday; 12:05pm-12:55pm
Meeting Place:  Room 101, College of Computing Building

Instructor: Ashok Goel

Office: TSRB 219
Phone: 404 894-4994
Office Hours: Monday, Friday 10:15am - 11:45am (TSRB 219)

Teaching Assistant: Zsolt Kira

Office:  TSRB 238 (cubicle near Ron Arkin's office)
E-mail: zkira at cc
Phone: 404-894-9311
Office Hours: MW 2:00pm-4:00pm, or by appointment

Swiki: http://swiki.cc.gatech.edu/cs4001a-sp06
Newsgroup: git.cc.class.cs4001a

Catalog Description

Examines the role and impact of information and communication technology in society, with emphasis on ethical, professional, and public policy issues.

Learning Objectives

Required Texts:

Grading
Class Schedule (GA = Gift of Fire; WA = Writing Arguments)

Readings should be completed by the date of the box in which they are listed.
Assignments have various due dates specified with the individual assignment.

 
Date
 Subject Readings Assignment
Given Out
01/09
 Introduction to the course
 Nation's Phones Tapped from the Chicago Tribune (handout)
01/11
 NASA's Challenger Groupthink video
GF Chapter 1
WA Chapter 1
01/13
 Ethics
 GF Chapter 10
 Swiki
(due 01/18)
01/18
 Ethics Case Studies
 GF Appendices A1 and A2
 Ethics declaration
(due 01/25)
01/20
 Ethics Case Studies
 Google's Case (handout)
  
01/23
 Reading Arguments
 WA Ch. 2
01/25
 Writing Arguments
 WA Ch. 3
 Article Summary
(due 02/1)
01/27
 Argument Claim
 WA Ch. 4
01/30
 Argument Structure
 WA Ch. 5
02/01
 Enthymeme
 WA Ch. 5
 Article Analysis
(due 02/8)
02/03
 Toulmin's Schema
 WA Ch. 5
02/06
 Argument Evidence
WA Ch. 6
02/08
 Moving Audience
 WA Ch. 7
02/10
 Accomodating Audience
 WA Ch. 8
02/13
 Privacy
 GF Ch. 2
02/15
 Communication
GF Ch. 3
 Therac
(due 02/22)
02/17
 Safety
 GF Ch. 4
02/20
 Cyberspace Freedom
 GF Ch. 7
02/22
 No Class

02/24
 Intellectual Property
 GF Ch. 6
02/27
 Computer Crime
 GF Ch. 7
03/1
 Computers at Work
 GF Ch. 8
 Term Paper
(due 03/31)
03/3
 Computer Control and Access
 GF Ch. 9
03/6
 Visual Arguments
 WA Ch. 9
 Software Licensing
(due 03/13)
03/8
 Claim Types
 WA Ch. 10
03/10
 Categorical and Definitional Claims
 WA Ch. 11
03/13
 Causal Claims
 WA Ch. 12
 Privacy Policy
(due 03/17)
03/15
 Resemblance Claims
 WA Ch. 13
03/17
 Debate Setup

03/27
 Evaluation Arguments
 WA Ch. 14
03/29
 Proposal Arguments

03/31
 Informal Fallacies
 WA Appendix 1
04/03
 Debate 1 - Taxation on E-Commerce
Debates Info
04/05
 Debate 2 - Gambling on the Internet

04/07
 Debate 3 - Licensing Software Engineers

04/10
 Debate 4 - RFID and Privacy

04/12
 Debate 5 - Outsourcing of Computing Jobs

04/14
 Intro to AI

04/17
 Robots in Cultural Contexts


04/19
 NOVA Video: The Great Robot Race
on DARPA Grand Challenge in Robotics

04/21
 "Does the Future need Humans?", Bill Joy

04/24
 Issues in Robotics:
A Survey of Socially Interactive Robots
Ethical Issues in Advanced AI
An Interview with Kurzweil about his notion of Singularity
Cultural differences - introduction
Cross-Cultural differences - study


04/26
 TBD


04/28
 No class

 05/02
 Final exam at 9:00am-10:50am at CCB 101. It will cover the reading assignments from the two textbooks.
For standing see current grades here


Class Policies

Teaching Approach

The primary purpose of this course is to help you develop into a responsible and effective professional who has a basic understanding of and sensitivity to the ethical issues and principles of our field. The best place to start is by cultivating a respectful attitude toward thoughtful dialogue. You will be given many opportunities to express your positions on various situations where computing is having an impact. Equally, you will be expected to read and listen critically to the arguments of others. The goal is not to persuade other people with force of rhetoric; nor is it to win arguments. The goal should be to approach a better understanding of how computing is changing society and what your responsibilities should be as an effective professional. Be open to changing your mind about issues. You will be expected to participate actively in discussions. You are entitled to your opinions, whatever they happen to be. Our job as a class is to ensure that you support your arguments effectively. On any given issue, you may be asked to summarize and critique reading assignments from the text or articles that you have read or summarize group discussions or positions. You will be expected to take any side of an issue and explain it and argue for it sympathetically, even though your personal views may be different.

Resources and References: