CSC372 Ethics in the Age of Technology and Information Fall 2009
Links: Course schedule and assignments News links/articles Computer Science Home
Welcome to the CSC122 home page. It contains some important information about the course.
Instructor and Office hours
Lonnie Fairchild
Redcay 147
564-2783 lonnie.fairchild@plattsburgh.edu
Office hours: Mon. 2-3 Tues.
2-3 Wed. 10:30-11:30
Thurs. 1- 2
These times
will not be convenient for everyone.
Students
are welcome (and encouraged!) to make appointments for other times.
Meeting Times and Place
Tues., Thurs., 3:30 - 4:45, Redcay 107
Course Description
Computing technology has expanded to the
point that it affects most aspects of our daily lives -- political, economic,
and personal. We will take a critical look at some of the social and
ethical issues connected with computing and internet technology and the kinds of
concerns we face both as individuals and as computing professionals.
We will discuss issues such as privacy, security and safety, intellectual
property rights, freedom of speech and press, access to technology, software
reliability, environmental concerns, and the
impact of artificial intelligence. This course satisfies the Advanced
Writing Requirement for students majoring in either Computer Science or
Information Technology. Hence, an additional purpose of the course will be
to improve writing skills. There will be two writing assignments due
almost every week and approximately 50 pages of reading each week.
Prerequisites: ENG101 AND (LIB102 or LIB105) AND (CSC121 or CSC122 or experience in programming) AND junior standing.
Course Learning Objectives:
-- To understand the impact on society of computing and internet technology.
-- To be aware of the major controversies and ethical dilemmas raised by these
technologies, and to be able critically analyze arguments on all sides of the
issues.
-- To be able to formulate and justify positions on issues surrounding the
social impact of computing and communicate these clearly in writing,
including the technical background that supports the
positions.
Required Text: Sara Baase, A
Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues for Computing and the Internet,
3rd edition, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008
ISBN: 0-13-600848-4
The text is available at the bookstore as a regular print,
paperback. Alternatively, you can obtain an electronic version (usable
for 6 months only) from Coursesmart, www.coursesmart.com,
at half the price of the print version. If you choose this option, note
that the college is restricting printing in the computer labs.
Grading:
The final course grade will be computed as follows:
[see "Grading of written assignments"]
Weekly
Essays
60%
News summary and analysis
papers
30%
Class participation and
attendance
10%
Weekly essays: Each Tuesday you will bring to class a printed first draft of an essay on a topic assigned the previous Thursday. You must also submit (before class) an electronic copy to the instructor (preferable, using Angel). The printed copy will be for you to use and mark up in peer review with a classmate. Part of class each Tuesday will be used for peer review of the first drafts. On Thursday, you will hand in the final, revised copy of the essay at the beginning of class. Most of these essays will be 2 pages, but at least one will be longer. (See paper-formatting guidelines.) You are permitted to skip two of the 2-page weekly essays but you must still do the reading and participate in the discussion.
News summary and analysis papers: Each Thursday you will bring to class one copy of a 1 - 1½ page paper on an article you find either on the web or in a print news source that is relevant to the topic we are currently discussing in class. These papers should include a brief summary of the article, followed by a discussion/analysis of the ethical/societal issue(s) raised by the news item. You must include the URL's for all on-line news items, If you used a print article, attach a copy to your paper. (See paper-formatting guidelines.) You are also permitted to skip two of the news summary papers but, again, you must still come to class and participate.
Attendance Policy and Academic Responsibility: This course is
depends on the active participation of all students -- both to have fruitful and
stimulating class discussions and to have an effective peer-review process for
improving writing. It is essential that students attend all classes, come prepared, and get there on time. If an unavoidable emergency comes up
and you must miss a class, you must let me know (phone or email) as soon as possible.
Unless the emergency is terrible, this must be before the class.
It is expected that all students enrolled in
this class support the letter and the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as
stated in the college catalog. Cooperative study and extensive
discussion of the paper topics are healthy learning methods and are strongly
recommended. Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your
own or allowing
someone else to copy or use your work. On writing assignments, all writing must be in your own words, and you should credit
anyone who contributed to your ideas. Note that attributing ideas to other
students will not lower your grade (and may raise it if your arguments become
stronger.) If you are unsure on how to give
credit or when or if this is required, you should discuss this with the
instructor or, at the very least, include such a statement with your
paper. An assignment that shows evidence of
plagiarism will result in a grade of 0, and the course grade will be lowered by one full
letter grade. A second instance of plagiarism will result in a grade of E in the course.
Greening the college: This course uses a lot of paper. In
accordance with college policies, we will try to find ways of cutting back on
paper use in the first couple of weeks. Suggestions are welcome.
________________________________________________________
lonnie.fairchild@plattsburgh.edu
08/25/2009