Schedule for CS 4001B: Computing, Society, & Professionalism, Fall 2007

Week Date Topic Readings Assignment Due
1 8/21 Welcome & Overview    
  8/23 Case Study: Therac-25 "Medical Devices: The Therac-25" by Nancy Leveson  
2 8/28 Reading Arguments WA 1 & 2  
8/30 Utilitarianism Baase 10.1
3 9/4 Deontology & Social Contract Theory Reading the Argument of a Current Article
9/6 Stakeholder Analysis & Virtue Ethics
  • In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan, pp. 25-39 (electronic reserve)
  • Virtue Ethics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Please come to class with a short quote from one of the readings that you find interesting.
4 9/11 Writing Arguments WA 3  
9/13 Professional Ethics

GF 10.2, 10.3, Appendix A

Article "Using the New ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making" by Anderson et al (electronic reserve)

 
5 9/18 Privacy GF 2 Applying Ethical Frameworks to a Dilemma
9/20 Privacy, continued  
6 9/25 The Patriot Act, FISA, and the Protect America Act Read articles online and see if you can figure out what The Patriot Act, The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), and the Protect America Act provide for  
9/27 Structure of Argument WA 4 & 5

Term Paper Proposals

7 10/2 Discussion of Term Paper Proposals Come to class prepared to tell everyone about your term paper topic.
  10/4 Midterm
8 10/9
Fall Break
  10/11 Case Studies in Using Evidence: The Cholera Epidemic & The Challenger Disaster Tufte Visual and Statistical Thinking  
9 10/16 Using Evidence WA 6 Term Paper Outline
  10/18 Freedom of Speech Online GF 5
10 10/23 Intellectual Property GF 6
  10/25 Software as Intellectual Property
11 10/30 Writing for an Audience WA 7 & 8  
11/1 Privacy & Security for Kids & Teens Online
12 11/6 Computers and Work  
11/8

Term Paper Presentations

Term Papers
13 11/13 Term Paper Presentations  
11/15 Term Paper Presentations  
14 11/20 Happy Thanksgiving!
(no class)
  11/22

Happy Thanksgiving!
(no class)

   
15 11/27 Broader Issues & Globalization GF 9
11/29 Internet Censorship in China & Other Nations Wikipedia article on Internet Censorship in China
16 12/4 The Power of Simulation Sedutions of Sim by Paul Starr
12/6 Final Exam Review Revised Term Papers (optional)

Readings and assignments are subject to change.