Term Paper Description

Schedule of Deliverables:

Also see the Term Paper Submission Guidelines
 

Introduction

When the subject of study is loosely defined and there is no "correct" answer (as is usually the case with respect to "social impacts" as well as other "soft issues"), the process of study and the process of communication are often intertwined.

A major piece of your work in this class will be a term-long study of a subject and communication of what you have learned via a "white" paper at the end of the term.  In effect, within the limitations of time, effort, and so on, you will become an "expert" this quarter in one particular subject.
 

Task Definition

Your first assignment is to corporate headquarters, as a junior staff member in the office of the CEO. Imagine that she is on an industry committee that is exploring the impacts of a particular technology.  She will be making a report before this committee on one of the topics listed below.  Your CEO has asked you to prepare a white paper giving the
background information needed for her presentation and to summarize your two-month part-time study in a ten minute presentation to her.  Because the industry committee is debating a number of topics, your CEO's assignment has been framed in the form of a proposed resolution that the committee is being asked to adopt.  Her task (and thus, yours) is to
present a convincing case for, or against, the resolution.  She must develop a balanced and rational argument, however, since the other members of the committee will want to carefully consider all the ramifications of
the proposed resolution she must also give enough of the background and technical details for the other members of the committee to understand and evaluate her proposal.
 

Resolutions

• A. Resolved:    That congress should pass legislation abolishing all patent protection for software, relying solely on copyright protection.
• B. Resolved:    That the federal government should have "back door" access to any encryption schemes.
• C. Resolved:    That there should be free access by all to the Internet and World-Wide Web.
• D. Resolved:    That software developers should be held personally accountable for any physical or economic damage resulting from errors they caused.
• E. Resolved:    That electronic communication, on balance, is a great asset and benefit to human communication.
• F. Resolved:    That private sector, or government, databases should be restricted to a single well defined purpose (e.g. maintaining criminal records or maintaining credit history) and they should not be permitted to link databases.
• G. Resolved:    That the positive economic impacts of automation on the lives of everyone will far outweigh the negative impacts and that an economic utopia is just  around the corner.
• H. Resolved:    That the federal government should become more active in attacking monopolies in the information industry.
• I. Resolved:    That the federal government should regulate and police the content of the Internet similar to what is done with radio and TV because of its accessibility.
• J. Resolved:    That programmers and software engineers should be required to undergo a certification process similar to lawyers or accountants before practicing their trade.
• K. Resolved:    That the federal government should become more active in protecting all forms of personal privacy that are being compromised by automated information systems.

Paper Specifications and Guidelines

A summary of the ethical and social issues that fall under the resolution.

A set of examples drawn from real incidents to give the committee a more tangible sense of those examples.

A clear discussion and explanation of your position with supporting evidence.  State the facts / expert opinions that support that viewpoint.

Describe the impact of the issue on the people that it touches from that point of view.  If positive, describe advantages, if negative, describe the disadvantages.

State the facts / expert opinions that contradict your position.

An analysis of how the ethical issues raised in this area affect individual computer professionals.

A discussion of how this proposed legislation will affect your company.  If different, clearly differentiate between how it is good for society at large, but may be good or bad for the company.

Analyze the *facts* surrounding the situation presented by each side.  How were they collected / presented?  Did they distort the truth at all to present their side in a positive light?

Re-present each side to the other.  Which arguments still have validity when presented against the other side's arguments?  Which ones don't?  Use this line of dialogue to frame what the "real picture" might be.

Inherent in these issues are some real problems that will have an impact on society.  What will need to change in terms of technology or policies to prevent these problems from occurring or to ameliorate their effects?  Describe these changes in terms of some policy or technology recommendations in the form of a development or legislative proposal.

Resource Guidelines

• Newsworthy resources  of good quality are hard to find.  By now you should have a good idea of what news sources reports the story in-depth with a balanced analysis.  If you're still not sure, check with the instructor or the teaching assistants.
• Be careful of using Web resources - consider that web news is not a mature field with a set of experienced journalists and it also caters to those used to 5-second news blips.
• Your paper will also be evaluated based on depth of research.
• The majority of the information sources must have been published within the last 5 years.  Sources beyond that time period may be used to describe the historical or social context but not to defend or support current events and positions.
• There are no guidelines for the number of sources that the student must cite but a significant portion of the grade will be based on how well the arguments are supported.