All readings are in the Hester and Ford text unless otherwise noted.

ECS 188 - Ethics in an Age of Technology - Spring 2006 - Earl Barr and Phil Rogaway

Class How Spent the Class? Reading/HW Due Today Readings Distributed or Assigned Today, and Other Notes
class #1 2006/03/30 ♦Earl/Phil introduce their view of the course
♦Part 1 of Krzysztof Kieslowski's film The Decalogue
none ♦James Moor, Reason, Relativity, and Responsibility in Computer Ethics
♦Optional: Computer Ethics from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy; Moor's seminal What is Computer Ethics?
class #2 2006/04/04 ♦Discussed The Decalogue.
♦Begin discussion of Barbour (technological optimism, pessimism, and contextualism).
♦Chapter 1 – {Mumford}
♦Moor reading
Written Assignment 1
♦Chapter 2 from Deborah Johnson's book
♦LeGuin, Those who walk away from Omelas
♦Pojman, A critique of ethical relativism
class #3 2006/04/06 Quiz 1
♦Finish discussion of Barbour
♦Begin discussion of Johnson (the dialectic and philosophical ethics).
♦Johnson reading
♦LeGuin reading
none
class #4 2006/04/11 ♦Finish discussion of Johnson
♦Pojman reading
Project milestone 1
Sect 1 wiki (10:40 - 12:00)
Sect 2 wiki (4:40 - 6:00) (book-based projects)
♦Feldman, Kantian Ethics
♦O'Neil, Kant's Formula of the End in Itself and World Hunger
class #5 2006/04/13 ♦Discuss ethical relativism readings
Quiz 2
♦Feldman reading (Kant #1)
♦O'Neil reading (Kant #2)
none
class #6 2006/04/18 ♦Discuss Feldman and O'Neill readings (deontology) Written Assignment 2 ♦James Rachels, The Ethics of Virtue, Chapt 13 from "The Elements of Moral Philosophy", 4th ed.
class #7 2006/04/20 Quiz 3
♦Discuss Rachels reading (virtue ethics)
♦Rachels reading none
class #8 2006/04/25 ♦Discuss ethical analysis Howto
♦Use it to analyze a scenario (handed out in class)
♦Discuss first reading of Chapt 7
Ethical Analysis Howto
♦ Chapter 7
♦Optional: Stacey Edgar, Computers and Privacy
class #9 2006/04/27 Quiz 4
♦Discussed privacy, as per the readings for today
Privacy as Contextual Integrity by Helen Nissenbaum
Recent news story #1 (lawsuit against AT&T)
Recent news story #2 (some context in case you pay little attention to US news)
none
class #10 2006/05/02 ♦Discussed patents and copyrights, as per the two readings for today
The Second Enclosure Movement and the Construction of the Public Domain by James Boyle
Patent Prescription by Adam B. Jaffe and Josh Lerner
Written Assignment 3
Project Milestone 2
class #11 2006/05/04 Quiz 5
♦Discussed the two DRM readings
The Darknet and the Future of Content Distribution by Biddle, et al.
Remade, thankfully, in a reasonable font
Microsoft Research DRM talk by Doctorow

class #12 06/05/09 Quiz 6
♦Discussed the day's readings
♦ A recent blog entry by Bruce Schneier
♦ Ross Anderson's TC FAQ
♦ An introduction to Richard Stallman's "Free Software, Free Society: Selected Essays" by Lawrence Lessig
The Right to Read and The GNU Manifesto by Richard Stallman
Written Assignment 3
♦David Kairys, Freedom of Speech, handed out.
Class #13 2006/05/11 Quiz 7
♦Discussed the Kairys reading
♦Section 2: Phil discussed his experience with UCD censoring a web of his
♦David Kairys, Freedom of Speech ♦Ward Chruchill's Some People Push Back (original version) and the resulting controversy
♦March 2006 indictment of Rod Coronaod for remarks at a 2003 speech
Class #14 2006/05/16 ♦We watched the film Testament (1983)
Project Milestone 2
Just War Theory by Alex Moseley
War and Massacre by Thomas Nagel
♦In the US, defense directly or indirectly funds many IT jobs. In these readings we ask whether war can be moral.
War and Massacre is a difficult reading, so budget accordingly.
The Highway of Death
A Brief History of the Laws of War
♦We will hand out The Case of Collective vIolence.
Class #15 2006/05/18 Quiz 8
♦We discussed the film Testament
♦We discussed the Moseley and Nagel readings
Computers, ethics, and collective violence by Summers and Markusen
Why the Future Doesn't Need Us by Bill Joy.
♦Draft slides due for day 1 presentations, by email, 11:59 pm. If you're working with a partner, please include both your email address and your partner's on the email so we can easily reply to both of you. One of us, Earl, is likely to print your drafts, so please restrict yourself to black and white with no complex backgrounds.
♦If you didn't get Computers, ethics, and collective violence in class and have problems with the DRM nonsense on the softcopy, extra copies are outside Phil's door.
50 facts about nuclear weapons.
Hans Bethe's letter to Clinton
It's seven minutes to midnight
♦A selection from Disciplined Minds, A Critical Look at Salaried Professionals and the Soul-Battering System that Shapes their Lives, by Jeff Schmidt. Available outside Phil's office. Only the first two chapters initially assigned.
Class #16 2006/05/23 ♦We discussed giving good talks
♦Small-group activity: analyzing ethical scenarios with respect to the ACM code
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
♦Jeff Schmidt, Disciplined Minds, Chapters 1 and 2.
♦Draft slides due for day 0 and day 2 presentations, 11:59 pm. (Day 0 should have been with the prior batch, but I forgot to write that!). See notes above.
.
Class #17 2006/05/25 We discussed the ACM Code, the Collective Violence reading, and the Disciplined Minds reading. ♦Finish the remaining two chapters from the Jeff Schmidt reading.
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Class #18 2006/05/30 ♦Student presentations, day 0. Section 2: Nathan, Bassem & Jacob. Diet for a Small Planet, Chapt. 1, Frances Lappe. Available outside Phil's office.
Animal Liberation at 30, by Peter Singer.
Personal Reflections on the "Animal-Rights" Phenomenon, by Adrian Morrison.
Today's Sect 2 Projects
♦Draft slides due for day 3 presentations, 11:59 pm. See notes above.
.
Class #19 2006/06/01 ♦Student presentations, day 1.
♦Section 1: Arseny & Daniel, Josh & William, David & Eric.
♦Section 2: Paul, Dominic & Edison, Alex.
Today's Sect 1 Projects
Today's Sect 2 Projects
♦Phil is out of town today, Section 2 covered by Earl.
Class #20 2006/06/06 ♦Student presentations, day 2.
♦Section 1: Mark & Chun Chung, Evan & Michelle, James & Avit.
♦Section 2: David, Paul + John, Yong
Today's Sect 1 Projects
Today's Sect 2 Projects
.
♦Phil is out of town today, Section 2 covered by Earl.
Class #F2 2006/06/06 ♦Student presentations, day 3.
♦Section 2: Jeremy, Ranjan, William and Diana
Today's Sect 2 Projects
♦Section 2 only
♦Attendance mandatory
Class #F1 2006/06/15 ♦Student presentations, day 3.
♦Section 1: Eric and Deepak.
Today's Sect 1 Projects
.
♦Section 1 only
♦Attendance mandatory