Lecture/Discussion: 3 hours
Prerequisite: Upper-division standing
Grading:Letter; quizzes (20%), short essays (10%), presentation (20%), term paper (20%), class participation (10%), final (20%)
Catalog Description:
Foundations of ethics. Views of technology. Technology and human values.
Costs and benefits of technology. The character of technological change.
The social context of work in computer science and engineering. GE: Writing Experience
Goals:
This course aims to encourage students to think critically about the ethical implications of what computer scientists do. A secondary goal is to promote improved communication skills.
Expanded Course Description:
Course Format:
The course will be taught in participatory format with a maximum enrollment of 25 students. Most class meetings will consist of a short quiz followed by an open-ended discussion of the day’s reading. Students will carry out a project consisting of a term paper of no less than 2000 words and an associated oral presentation of 20-25 minutes.
Students are graded on their ability to:
General Education:
Writing Experience: The final project includes a term paper of no less than 2000 words (about 8 pages). Papers are graded on the basis of content and form, including organization, style, use of language, logical coherence, selection of sources, depth of analysis, and so forth. Students must formulate a thesis, construct a convincing argument, marshal evidence to support their claims, and analyze the evidence. There are two milestones prior to turning in this final paper. The first is a one-page project-proposal, and the second is a rough draft of the paper. Students revise their work in response to comments returned from each of these two milestones. Alongside the term paper is an associated oral presentation. These typically have 20-25 slides, which are reviewed as part of the second milestone. Projects are normally carried out by 2-person teams. Finally, two short essays are assigned in the class, each of 1-2 pages.
Textbook:
A reader assembled by Phillip Rogaway includes work by: Ian Barbour, Robert Heilbroner, Langdon Winner, John Lienhard, Neil Postman, Deborah Johnson, Hans Jonas, David Strong, Jared Diamond, Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Freeman Dyson, Marshal McLuhan, Thomas Friedman, Suketu Mehta, the UN IPCC, Garrett Hardin, Amory Lovins, Eric Markusen, Bill Joy, James Boyle, Richard Stallman, Cory Doctorow, Jeff Schmidt, and the ACM.
Computer Usage:
Computer usage will involve obtaining relevant research information from
the Internet as basis for presentations, papers and case studies.
ABET Category Content: Engineering Science: 0 unit
Engineering Design: 0 unit
Goals:
Students should increasingly think about, and hopefully act upon, the ethical implications of our personal and professional choices, and our collective work as technologists. Students should come to think in a more sociologically-cognizant manner; to read a lot; to write a fair amount; and to become more comfortable participating in oral discussions and giving an oral presentation.
Student Outcomes:
Instructor: The Staff (Chairperson in charge)
Prepared by: P. Rogaway (April 2008)
Overlap Statement:
There is no significant overlap with any other course since the focus of
this course is on ethical issues as they arise in the field of computer
science. ENG 190 is a related course on professional ethics and responsibility
in engineering.