Schedule for CS 4001D: Computing, Society, & Professionalism, Fall 2004

Week Date Topic Readings Assignment Due
1 8/17 Welcome & Overview    
  8/19 Case Study: Therac-25 "Medical Devices: The Therac-25" by Nancy Leveson  
2 8/24 Benefits of Computing GF 1  
  8/26 Reading Arguments WA 1 & 2  
3 8/31 Utilitarianism GF 10.1 Reading the argument of a current article
  9/1 Deontology "Introduction to Ethics" by Michael Quinn (electronic reserve)  
4 9/7 Feminine Ethics

"In a Different Voice," pages 25-39, by Carol Gilligan (electronic reserve)

(The whole chapter is on reserve, but you only need to read those pages.)

 
  9/9 Writing Arguments WA 3  
5 9/14 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)

Applying three ethical frameworks to a dilemma
  9/16 Privacy GF 2  
6 9/21 Privacy, cont.    
  9/23 Online Privacy Policies "Privacy Policies as Decision-Making Tools:
An Evaluation of Online Privacy Notices" by
Carlos Jensen and Colin Potts
 
7 9/28

Cryptography & Interception of Communications

GF 3

 
  9/30

Term Paper Ideas

 

Term Paper Proposals

8 10/5 Structure of Argument WA 4 & 5  
  10/7 Midterm

 

 
9 10/12 Computers & Work

"Christmas Unplugged" by Amy Bruckman

GF 8

 
  10/14 Using Evidence WA 6  
10 10/19 Fall Break (no class)    
  10/21 Case Studies in Using Evidence: The Cholera Epidemic & The Challenger Disaster Tufte Visual and Statistical Thinking Term Paper Outline
11 10/26 Writing for an Audience WA 7 & 8  
  10/28 Electronic Voting   Research Electronic Voting & Democracy
12 11/2 Electronic Democracy Class articles summaries on CoWeb  
  11/4 Freedom of Speech GF 5  
13 11/9 Internet Filtering & Children Accessing Controversial Information Online

Teen safety on the information superhighway

Read the websites of:

 
  11/11 Term Paper Discussion   Term Papers
14 11/16 Intellectual Property GF 6  
  11/18

The Power of Simulation

"Seductions of Sim" by Paul Starr

GF 4.5

 
15 11/23 Privacy, Security, and Government USA Patriot Act
and EFF Analysis
Patriot Act exercise
  11/25

Happy Thanksgiving! (no class)

   
16 11/30 Broader Issues

GF 9

 
  12/2 No class   Revised Term Papers (optional)

Readings and assignments are subject to change.