Welcome to CS 854

Course Objectives

The purpose of this course is to examine some of the historical, ethical, legal, political and social issues that arise in computer science.   We will consider questions such as:   What values are implicit in the use computers? What societal implications does the introduction of new computer technology have?   What are the ethical and legal responsibilities of a computer professional? How is software protected through intellectual property rights. Through discussion of case studies, articles and book excerpts, the student will gain an overview of some of the current ethical issues in the contexts of computer science and computer applications.   The course will be conducted as a seminar – each class will consist of a discussion on two different topics introduced through the weekly readings.

Course Outline

1. Introduction -- expectations and the what when; and why?; (Ethics, law, amd politics in CS) - Patents and intellectual property rights
2. Hacking - 15 Oct
3. Privacy - 15 Oct
4. Information and the Internet -
5. Chips in bodies: bodies in chips? -
6. Digital divide and computers in the workplace -
7. Risk management -
8. Tech wars -
9. Professional ethics, the future and conclusions - ---
10. Presentations November 12th !

Textbooks and References

There is not a textbook. Materials will be linked or distributed.

Workload and Evaluation

• 1. Class participation/presentation (20% of overall mark)
• Students are expected to attend all classes, read and carefully consider the assigned readings, and contribute meaningful and relevant comments and questions to class discussions. Mere attendance is not participation.
• 2.  Final Presentation ( 20% of overall mark)
• Each student will on a topic related to the course material.   In the presentation, the student will be expected to present his/her own argument on a specific issue in a manner that stimulates discussion for the topic, focusing on current cutting edge developments and future possibilities.
• 3. Term paper (60% of overall mark)
• Each student will submit a term paper of approximately (±10%) 4000 words (this is around 12 1.5-spaced, printed, pages in 12pt Times) on a topic related to the course material.  In the essay, the author will be expected to present his/her own argument on a specific issue, supported by references to the course readings and/or other related literature.  The essay is due December 2nd.  Further guidelines for the essay and topic suggestions will be provided later in the term.

Objectives

• An understanding of externalities to software development and use: non- functional aspects