Schedule for CS 4873 CSP: Computing, Society, & Professionalism

Readings are subject to change. Check the online syllabus before reading.
Date Topic Readings Assignment
8/23 Welcome & Overview    
8/25 Case Study: Therac-25 Optional reading: Week 1 Section Guide
For section:
  • Bring your copy of the Leveson paper (electronic or paper)
  • Pick a person in the Therac controversy, and add it to the discussion on your section's Canvas (making sure no one has already picked that person). Come to section prepared to discuss what that person did or didn't do.
8/30 Do Artifacts Have Politics? HW: Therac and the 737-MAX
9/1 Utilitarianism Quinn 2.1-2.3, 2.7-2.8 Week 2 Secton Guide
For section:
  • Call an older family member or friend, and come to section prepared to discuss it.
9/6 Labor Day Holiday    
9/8 Deontology
  • Quinn 2.6
  • "Are there absolute moral rules?" by James Rachels, in The Elements of Moral Philosophy (electronic reserve)
HW: Reflection on the politics of a technological artifact

Week 3 Section Guide
9/13 Social Contract Theory For additional reading:  
9/15 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)
 Week 4 Section Guide
    For section:
    • Choose a quote from the Gilligan reading 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.
    • Think of a realistic ethical dilemma that has a different answer depending on which theory you use. Come to section prepared to discuss it.
9/20 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
  
9/22 Freedom of Speech & Networked Communications Quinn 3.2, 3.6-3.9 Week 5 Section Guide
For section:
  • Choose 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.
9/27 Professional Ethics HW: Applying Ethical Frameworks to a Dilemma
9/29 Privacy
  • Quinn Chapter 5, Chapter 6 through 6.7
 Week 6 Section Guide
10/4 Privacy and the Government Analysis of New ACM Code
10/6 Privacy and Biological Data Optional: Week 7 Section Guide
10/11 Fall Break--No Class    
10/13 Intellectual Property
  • Quinn Chapter 4, through end of 4.6
  • Video about trademarks: 'Don't Say Velcro' (2:14 minutes)
 Week 8 Section Guide
For section:
  • Write what you think would be a good midterm question, and post it on your section's canvas, making sure your question is not exactly like someone else's.
10/18 Midterm    
10/20 Intellectual Property, continued   Week 9 Section Guide
For section:
  • Pick a legal case that involves fair use and computers. Come to section prepared to tell the class about your case. What did the court rule and why? How were the four fair use factors used?
10/25 Software as Intellectual Property Quinn Chapter 4, continued (4.7-end) Term Paper Proposals
 
10/27 Computer Reliability & Software Warranties Quinn Chapter 8 (except Therac section already read) Week 10 Section Guide
11/1 Visual Argument Visual & Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Decision Making by Tufte
11/3 Work and Wealth
  • Quinn chapter 10
Optional: 		Week 11 Section Guide
For section:
  • 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.
11/8 AI, Algorithms, and Bias  
11/10 Technology and Race Optional: Term Paper Outline
Week 12 Section Guide
11/15 Implications of Social Media  
11/17 Net Neutrality Optional: Week 13 Section Guide
11/22 Wikipedia, Truth, and Peer-Reviewed References (class online) No class--lecture is an asynchronous video
 
11/24 Thanksgiving Break--No Class   No section meetings this week.
11/29 Predictably Irrational
  • 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)
 Week 14 Section Guide
12/1 Term Paper Presentations Email your TA and the head TA by 11/29 at 10:45 am to request a presentation slot. Presentations are five minutes, strictly timed. Everyone who volunteers gets +2 bonus points on their term paper. If you are selected to present, you get +2 to +5 points. Term Papers
12/6 Final Exam Review Write a draft final exam question and post it on the thread for the class main Canvas by 12/4. To write your question, pick a class and think about what is important about the material in that class. Start your question with the title of the class it relates to. I.e.: "Work and Wealth: question."

We will discuss selected questions in class. Questions will be in the same style as those on the Midterm.		  

Readings and assignments are subject to change.

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