html> CS4863CSP, Fall 2019--Schedule

Schedule for CS 4863 CSP: Computing, Society, & Professionalism

Readings are subject to change. Check the online syllabus before reading.
Date Topic Readings Assignment
8/19 Welcome & Overview   Week 1 Section Guide
8/21 Case Study: Therac-25 Optional reading:  
8/26 Do Artifacts Have Politics? Section this week:
  • Bring your copy of the Leveson paper (electronic or paper)
Week 2 Secton Guide
8/28 Utilitarianism Quinn 2.1-2.3, 2.7-2.8 HW: Therac and the 737-MAX
9/2 Labor Day (no class)   Section this week:
  • Monday sections will NOT meet. Students in Monday sections may attend any other section, or are excused with no penalty.
Week 3 Section Guide
9/4 Deontology
  • Quinn 2.6
  • "Are there absolute moral rules?" by James Rachels, in The Elements of Moral Philosophy (electronic reserve)
 Reflection on the politics of a technological artifact
9/9 Social Contract Theory Section this week:
  • Think of a realistic ethical dilemma that has a different answer depending on which theory you use
Week 4 Section Guide
9/11 Stakeholder Analysis
  • In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan, pp. 25-39 (electronic reserve)
  • Quinn 2.12
  • Ethics of Worksplace Surveillance, a 4001 term paper, 2014 (shared with permission)
  
9/16 Virtue Ethics
  • Virtue Ethics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
  • Quinn 2.10-2.11
  • Tool to help you decide if something is peer reviewed, which we'll discuss n class today: Ulrichsweb
 Section this week:
  • Choose a quote from the Gilligan reading, and a quote from the Stanford Encyclopedia of philosophy article on Virtue Ethics that you feel raises an interesting issue. Add it to the discussion on the Canvas for your section, making sure you have picked a quote that no one else has picked. Come to section prepared to read your quote out loud and discuss why you find it significant.
Week 5 Section Guide
9/18 Freedom of Speech & Networked Communications Quinn 3.2, 3.6-3.9  
9/23 Professional Ethics Applying Ethical Frameworks to a Dilemma
Week 6 Section Guide
9/25 Privacy
  • Quinn Chapter 5, Chapter 6 through 6.7
  
9/30 Privacy and the Government Analysis of New ACM Code
Week 7 Section Guide
10/2 Intellectual Property Quinn Chapter 4, through end of 4.6  
10/7 Midterm   Week 8 Section Guide
10/9 Intellectual Property, continued    
10/14 Fall break (no class)   Week 9--no section
10/16 Software as Intellectual Property Quinn Chapter 4, continued (4.7-end) Term Paper Proposals
10/21 Wikipedia, Truth, and Peer-Reviewed References Week 10 Section Guide
10/23 AI, Algorithms, and Bias  
10/28 Visual Argument Visual & Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Decision Making by Tufte Section this week:
  • Find an example of a visual presentation of data that is well done, and another that is confusing, misleading, or bad in some other way. Bring these to section.
Week 11 Section Guide
10/30 Computer Reliability & Software Warranties Quinn Chapter 8 (except Therac section already read)  
11/4 Electronic Voting For section:
  • Pick an article about evoting. Make sure no one else has picked it by checking the Canvas topic for your section. Add yours to the list.
  • Come to section prepared to present your article.
Week 12 Section Guide
11/6 The USA Patriot Act Optional: Term Paper Outline
11/11 Technology and Policing
(Guest lecturer: Julia Deeb-Swihart)		 Week 13 Section Guide
11/13 Net Neutrality  
11/18 Work and Wealth
  • Quinn chapter 10
Optional: 		Week 14 Section Guide
11/20 Privacy and Biological Data Term Papers
11/25, 11/27 No class--Happy Thanksgiving!    
12/2 Two topics: Ariely & Simulation
  • Chapter "The Context of our Character, Part 1: Why We Are Dishonest, and What We Can Do About It" from "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely (electronic reserve)
  • Seductions of Sim by Paul Starr
  • Quinn 8.8
 

Readings and assignments are subject to change.

Course Home Page