Gallagher, Thomas

English

University of Montana

University of MontanaScholarWorks at University of MontanaSyllabi Course Syllabi1-2015CSCI 215E.01: Social and Ethical Issues inComputer ScienceThomas GallagherUniversity of Montana - Missoula, thomas.gallagher@umontana.eduLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted forinclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contactscholarworks@mso.umt.edu.Recommended CitationGallagher, Thomas, "CSCI 215E.01: Social and Ethical Issues in Computer Science" (2015). Syllabi. 2944.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/2944The University Of Montana Missoula College Department o f Applied Computing and Electronics Course SyllabusCSCI 215E Social and Ethical Issues in Computer ScienceSections 01 Credits: 3Prerequisites: WRIT 101 College W riting Syllabus Last Revised: January 2015Class Meetings: TR 12:40-2:00 HB03 Final Exam: Friday, May 15 8:00-10:00amFaculty ContactTom Gallagher, Associate Professor Thomas.Gallagher(5) Umontana.edu Office Hours: MTWR 8:30-9:30Course DescriptionExploration o f ethical issues in the field o f computing. Skills needed to  identify and analyze various ethical concerns. Standard ethical concepts and theories, methods o f ethical analysis. Strong emphasis on practical application o f the ethical process.Course OverviewSocial and Ethical Issues in Computer Science studies ethical decision making in the complex world o f information technology. The course begins w ith  a survey o f general ethical principles and decision making processes, examining effective tools and guidelines to resolve complex dilemmas. The remainder o f the course explores information technology-specific ethical issues. Included w ill be discussions on professionalism involving business relationships, codes o f ethics, accountability and licensure; intellectual property including patents copyrights, and trade secrets; online behavior including SPAM, hacking, and social engineering; and privacy issues such as data mining, surveillance, and transaction generated information.In addition to the ethical component o f the course, CSCI215E fulfills a lower division writing requirement. Assignments focus on basic grammar, sentence structure, mechanics capitalization and punctuation), paragraph structure, topic sentences, thesis statements, and introductory and closing paragraphs.This course explores ethical issues in the field o f computing. Students w ill develop the skills needed to identify and analyze various ethical concerns. We w ill cover standard ethical concepts and theories, as well as standard methods of ethical analysis. I place a strong emphasis on practical application o f the ethical process.This means that once you've learned the basics o f ethical analysis, you'll apply that inform ation to d ifferent scenarios. It's im portant to keep in mind that the field o f ethics considers many d ifferent viewpoints. A good ethicist w ill fairly evaluate positions that may, on a personal level, be far outside his or her com fort zone. I expect you to  become good ethicists! Your ethical analysis work w ill usually be in the form o f an essay, so you'll practice your w riting skills at the same tim e that you practice your ethics skills. Initial w riting assignments w ill work on grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. In short order, we'll move to topic sentences and paragraph structure, then expand to  a full essay w ith  introduction, body text, closing, and thesis statements. Once we reach that point in the assignments, you'll continue using tha t form at fo r the remainder o f the semester.This course requires reading, writing, reflection, and critical thinking! Each week expect to read around 50 pages and write at least one page.Phone: 406.243.7814Office Location: Missoula College Campus - Griz House 81Learner Outcomes•  Explain the positive impact o f computers on society;•  Explain the potential negative impact o f computers on society;•  Explain legal issues related to computing;•  Describe professionalism and code o f ethics;•  Discuss post-9/11 legislation as it relates to computing including the USA Patriot Act•  Identify and describe common ethical concepts and theories.•  Analyze ethical dilemmas and articulate a clear, descriptive account prior to form ing a normative course ofaction.•  Demonstrate one or more processes o f philosophical analysis.•  Identify common ethical issues facing professionals in the field o f inform ation technology.•  Apply ethical concepts and an analytical process to common dilemmas found in the inform ation technology field.•  Demonstrate w riting competency in the follow ing areas: development o f idea, organization, appropriate voice, proper mechanics, and relevance to  assignmentGeneral EducationCSCI 215E is a designated lower division w riting course. It also fulfills the Ethical and Human Values Perspective 5 General Education Graduation Requirement as defined in The University o f Montana Catalog.TextbookQuinn, M. J. (2012). Ethics fo r  the inform ation age. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Addison-Wesley. 5th Ed. ISBN 978-0-13- 285553-2Adelson, H., Ledeen, K., & Lewis, H. (2008). Blown to bits: Your life, liberty, and happiness after the d ig ita l explosion. (1st ed.). Addison-Wesley. ISBN 978-0-13-285553-2Download PDF Format through Creative Commons Licensing: h ttp://www.bitsbook.com /excerpts/ReadingThis course contains a significant volume o f reading. Students are expected to complete a weekly reading assignment. Reading w ill be assessed through classroom participation, w riting assignments, and the final exam.AssessmentGrades will be weighted and graded as follows:Assessment Area Weighting: Grading Scale:Participation 10% 90-100% AWeekly Reflection Paper (10) 40% 80-89% BAnalysis Paper (2) 30% 70-79% CFinal Exam 20% 60-69% D2Academic ConductAll students must practice academic honesty. Academic misconduct is subject to an academic penalty by the course instructor and /o r  a disciplinary sanction by The University. All students need to be fam iliar w ith  the Student Conduct Code. The Code is available fo r review online at:http://www.umt.edu/vpsa/policies/student conduct.phpUsing the Web to research materials and concepts is an integral part o f learning in the tw enty-first century. Studying w ith  other students is a productive method o f learning. A certain amount o f collaborating on concepts w ith other students and using resources found on the Internet in an assignment is recommended. Copy and paste is not acceptable. It is expected that each student w ill input his/her assignment into the computer, and each student must be able to explain any assignment turned in.The subject o f plagiarism is discussed in Appendix A o f the Quinn textbook (p. 491). Please be sure to review this section o f the textbook prior to submitting any assignments for the course.Writing RequirementsStudents are expected to demonstrate w riting competency in the follow ing areas: development o f idea, organization, appropriate voice, proper mechanics, and relevance to assignment. W riting w ill be assessed using reflection papers and analysis papers.All writings are to be submitted in hard copy form at and should be completed using a word processor. Papers must be double-spaced, contain a page number in the upper right-hand corner, and use the APA style fo r citations and references. Cover page (see Appendix B) and a References page are required. No running headers. Use twelve (12) point Times New Roman or Arial fon t style. Examples o f general APA form at can be found at the Purdue Online W riting Lab https://ow l.english.purdue.edu/ow l/resource/560/01/. The Mansfield Library provides an APA Citation Style Guide: h ttp ://libgu ides.lib .umt.edu/content.php?pid=3183&sid=17365.In most cases, a th ird person narrative voice should be used in all writings. Prior to final submission, all papers are required to complete the follow ing process: final review by author, revision, peer review, revision and final submission.An example cover page is found in the syllabus appendices. All w riting assignments are due at the start o f class.Reflection PapersThis course requires students to  w rite  a weekly reflection paper based upon a topic covered in readings from the Quinn textbook and discussion topics developed in the classroom. Ten (10) reflections papers are required. No title  page is needed for reflection papers, rather "Your Name" and "Reflection Paper #xx" should be included on separate lines, single-spaced, in the upper right header o f the document. Be sure to include references where needed.Unless otherwise instructed, please w rite  using th ird  person voice. The expected length o f a reflection paper is 300-400 words (approximately 1 page double-spaced). Citing reference using APA citation style is required. Consider a form at similar to a newspaper editorial. Reflection papers are assessed as follows:Superior (++) indicates the submission meets the minimum length, contains lim ited grammar/spelling/mechanical errors, and uses strong logic. 5 pointsAcceptable (+) indicates the submission meets the minimum length, but needs improvement in the areas of grammar/spelling/mechanical errors or logic. 4 pointsUnacceptable (0) indicates either a missing submission or a submission which is unacceptable due to lim ited length, excessive grammar/spelling/mechanical errors, or extremely poor logic. 0 points3Analysis PapersAnalysis Papers provide students the opportun ity to examine an ethical dilemma in greater depth. Topics for Analysis Papers w ill be based upon readings from the in the Submissions are 1200-1500 words in length. A minimum of two analysis papers are required each semester. Citing reference using APA citation style is required. Use th ird person voice. Title page, Reference page, and APA citation style are required. Please do not use a running header.Appendix B o f the syllabus provides an assessment rubric which further describes requirements fo r analysis papers Appendix C provides an example o f the required title  pate. Appendix D provides a copy o f the Program-level W riting Assessment Holistic Rubric fo r UM. All manuscripts must demonstrate w riting competency at the proficient or advanced level. Papers not meeting this criteria are required to be rewritten.Dropping and Adding Courses or Changing Sections, Grading or Credit StatusUniversity Policy for dropping courses or requesting grading/credit status changes can be found in the catalog: http://www.umt.edu/registrar/students/dropadd.php. Students should become fam iliar w ith  all academic policies found in the catalog.Disability Accommodations:Eligible students w ith  disabilities w ill receive appropriate accommodations in this course when requested in a tim ely way. Please contact me if you w ill be requesting an accommodation. Please be prepared to provide a le tter from your DSS Coordinator. For more information, visit the Disability Services website at h ttp ://w w w .um t.edu/dss or call/text 406.243.2243.Good luck this semester and I hope you enjoy the course!Topic Outline (subject to revision)1. Catalyst fo r Change2. Introduction to Ethics3. Networked Communications4. Intellectual Property5. Privacy I: Information Privacy6 .Privacy II: Government7. Security8. Reliability9. Professional Ethics10. W ork and Wealth4Appendix A: Curriculum Calendar - Spring Term 2014(January 13, 2014 -  sub ject to  revision)WeekReadingAssignment Tuesday ThursdayWritingAssignment28-Jan 1Quinn Ch. 1 Catalyst for Change 1.1 Introduction 2.1 Milestones4-Feb 2Quinn Ch. 2 Intro to Ethics 2.1 Relativism 2.2 Egoism/Kantianism2/4 - Reflection Paper 1 (RP1)11-Feb 3Quinn Ch. 10 W ork and Wealth 2.3 Utilitarianism 2.4 The Social Contract 2 /1 1 -RP218-Feb 4Quinn Ch. 3 Networked Communications3.1 Communications Technologies3.2 Freedom of Expression 2/18 - RP325-Feb 5Quinn Ch. 4 Intellectual Property4.1 Rights & Protection4.2 Open Source & Creative Commons 2/25 - RP44-Mar 6Quinn Ch. 5 Information Privacy 5.1 Right o f Privacy5.2 Information Disclosure 3/4 - RP511-Mar 7 Blown to Bits 5.3 Data Mining TBA 3/11 - RP618-Mar 8 No Reading W riting Workshop6.1 Government Surveillance Analysis Paper 125-Mar 9Quinn Ch. 6 Privacy and Government 6.2 Patriot Act6.3 Private & Public Databases 3/25 - RP71-Apr 10 Holiday - Spring Break8-Apr 11Quinn Ch. 7 Computer and Network Security7.1 Hacking & Malware 7.2 Cyber Crime 4/10 - RP815-Apr 12 Blown to BitsLewis -  Online Lectures: Google B2B Part II8.1 Computer Reliability: Therac-25 4/15 - RP922-Apr 13Quinn Ch. 8ComputerReliabilityFinish Ch. 8: EULA 9.1 Codes o f Ethics W riting Workshop Analysis Paper 229-Apr 14Quinn Ch. 9 Professional Ethics9.2 Professions & Whistleblowers10.1 Automation & Globalization 5/1 - RP106-May 15No Reading Assignment 10.2 Digital Divide Review for Final ExamNo W riting Assignment13-May 16 Final Exam Week5Appendix B: Analysis Paper Grading RubricCSCI 215E Ethics in Computer Science Analysis Paper Grade RubricName: Score:(max 50 points)Understand the content found in the assigned readings and identify the ethical dilemma.Demonstrate a strong understanding o f the content and clearly identify m ultip le ethical dilemmas (5 points). Demonstrate some understanding o f the content and partially identify at least one ethical dilemma (3 points). Demonstrate a lim ited or no understanding o f the content or dilemma (1 point).Identify the multiple perspectives and stakeholders associated with an issueIdentify more than one perspective on an issue (5 points).Identify a singular perspective on an issue (3 points).Inability to  provide a defin ite perspective on an issue (1 point).Use of ethical philosophy in forming an argumentExamine an issue through the use o f m ultip le ethical philosophy (5 points). Examine an issue using a singular ethical philosophy (3 points).No use o f ethical philosophy is found in the texts (1 points).Use of analogies and/or examples in illustrating a dilemmaW rite r has provided numerous examples or analogies to  illustrate the dilemma (5 points). W rite r has provide at least one example or analogy to  illustrate the dilemma (3 points). W rite r has not used a single example or analogy to  illustrate the dilemma (1 point)Compose written documents that are appropriate for a given audience or purpose (Learning Outcome 1)The texts show a strong sense o f purpose and audience. (5 points)The texts show some a ttention to  purpose and audience (3 points)The texts show little  understanding o f purpose and/or audience (1 point)Formulate and express opinions and ideas in writing (Learning Outcome 2)Expression o f ideas is articulate, developed, and well-organized. (5 points).Expression o f ideas may be vague, unclear, and/or unorganized at times (3 points).Expression o f ideas is confusing, minimal, or irrelevant; the organization is illogical or weak (1 point).Use writing to learn and synthesize new concepts (Learning Outcome 3)These texts demonstrate an ability to  synthesize concepts (5 points).These texts demonstrate developing ability to  synthesize concepts. (3 points) These texts demonstrate d ifficu lty  in synthesizing concepts. (1 point).Find, evaluate, and use information effectively (Learning Outcome 5)The texts consistently show the w rite r's  ab ility  to  evaluate and use in form ation effectively (5 points).The texts reveal the w rite r's  uneven ab ility  to  use inform ation; use o f in form ation may be insufficient (3 points). The w rite r's  use o f in form ation is inaccurate, inappropriate, or missing (2 points)Appropriate use of APA writing conventions (Learning Outcome 6)Demonstrate APA w riting  conventions w ith  general success (5 points). Demonstrate minimal knowledge o f APA w riting  conventions (3 points). Demonstrate little  to  no awareness o f APA w riting  conventions (1 point).Demonstrate appropriate English language usage (Learning Outcome 7)W hile there may be a few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, a strong command o f English language usage is clearly evident (5 points).A basic control o f English language usage is apparent, even though frequent errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics may occasionally hinder understanding (3 points).Severe problems w ith  grammar, usage, and mechanics show poor control o f English language and impede understanding (1 points).6Appendix C: Cover Page ExampleAssignment NamebyStudent NameSubmitted to Thomas GallagherIn Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for CSCI215E Societal and Ethical Issues in Computer ScienceThe University of Montana Spring 20157Appendix D: UM-Missoula University-wide Program-level Writing Assessment Holistic Rubric(Created by the ASCRC Writing Committee, Revised May 13, 2013)Learning Outcomes for Approved Writing Courses1. Compose w ritten  documents that are appropriate fo r a given audience or purpose2. Formulate and express opinions and ideas in w riting3. Use writing to learn and synthesize new concepts4. Revise w ritten  work based on constructive feedback5. Find, evaluate, and use information effectively6. Begin to  use discipline-specific w riting conventions (largely style conventions like APA or MLA)7. Demonstrate appropriate English language usageScore 4: AdvancedThe texts show a strong sense of purpose and audience. Expression of ideas is articulate, developed, and well-organized. These texts demonstrate a clear ability to synthesize concepts. The texts consistently show the writer’ s ability to evaluate and use information effectively. Writing style (word choice and sentence fluency) is highly effective for the purpose and audience. The writer is beginning to use discipline-specific writing conventions with general success. While there may be a few errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, a strong command of English language usage is clearly evident.Score 3: ProficientThe texts show a clear sense of purpose and audience. Expression of ideas is generally developed and organized. These texts demonstrate an ability to synthesize concepts. The texts show the writer’s ability to evaluate and use information. Writing style (word choice and sentence fluency) is effective for the purpose and audience. The writer is beginning to use discipline-specific writing conventions with uneven success. While there may be some errors in grammar, usage, and mechanics, a competency in English language usage is evident.Score 2: Nearing ProficiencyThe texts show some attention to purpose and audience. Expression of ideas may be vague, unclear, and/or unorganized at times. These texts demonstrate developing ability to synthesize concepts. The texts reveal the writer’ s uneven ability to use information; use of information may be insufficient. Writing style (word choice and sentence fluency) is sometimes ineffective for the purpose and audience. The writer shows minimal knowledge of discipline-specific writing conventions. A  basic control of English language usage is apparent, even though frequent errors in grammar, usage, or mechanics may occasionally hinder understanding.Score 1: NoviceThe texts show little understanding of purpose and/or audience. Expression of ideas is confusing, minimal, or irrelevant; the organization is illogical or weak. These texts demonstrate difficulty in synthesizing concepts. The writer’ s use of information is inaccurate, inappropriate, or missing. Writing style (word choice and sentence fluency) is not effective for the purpose and audience. The writer shows little to no awareness of discipline-specific writing conventions. Severe problems with grammar, usage, and mechanics show poor control of English language and impede understanding.8

CSCI 215E.01: Social and Ethical Issues in Computer Science

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CSCI 215E.01: Social and Ethical Issues in Computer Science

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