Buntain, Cody

English

Digital Commons @ New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)

New Jersey Institute of Technology Digital Commons @ NJIT Informatics Syllabi NJIT Syllabi Spring 2020 IS 350-102: Computers, Society and Ethics Cody Buntain Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/info-syllabi Recommended Citation Buntain, Cody, "IS 350-102: Computers, Society and Ethics" (2020). Informatics Syllabi. 171. https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/info-syllabi/171 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the NJIT Syllabi at Digital Commons @ NJIT. It has been accepted for inclusion in Informatics Syllabi by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ NJIT. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@njit.edu. IS 350 Syllabus 1 IS 350 – S102 – Computer, Society & Ethics Course Format We meet for discussion, lectures and other activities once a week for 3 hours. You will engage in some other activities separately with team members. All are mandatory. You will be responsible for preparing for class, attending and participating in all classes, reading the textbook and all online materials, doing all assignments, and posting assignments on Canvas.  If you must miss a class, email me in advance.  You will be responsible for finding out what you missed. Instructor     Professor Cody Buntain  Office: GITC 3420H         E-mail: cbuntain@njit.edu         (include “IS350-” in the email subject)  Office Hours:   Tuesdays, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM  By appointment General Course Information 1. Prerequisites: As prerequisites, IS 350 requires an introductory course in computing, an introductory course in the social sciences, and HUM 101.  This course is an upper-level course designed for juniors and seniors.  2. Course Goals: Upon the completion of this course you should be able to: a. Explain beneficial and detrimental ways in which computing affects people, including the primary and secondary effects, and intended and unintended consequences. b. Utilize theories of ethical decision-making and professional codes of ethics to analyze difficult situations with computing aspects. c. Find and critically evaluate relevant literature pertaining to a situation of concern. d. Communicate about difficult issues in the computing sciences.  This is an ambitious set of goals, which meets several of the requirements for an ABET accredited degree in the Computing Sciences.   3. Time Required – This course requires a significant amount of work to help you achieve these goals.  On average, you need to set aside up to 9 hours a week for this course, including discussion, lecture, other classroom and online activities, reading, studying the materials, homework and team activities. 4. Readings & Online Materials –Readings and other online materials supplement the lecture slides and the textbook. 5. Canvas – Course materials and other information are on Canvas (http://canvas.njit.edu). IS 350 Syllabus 2 6. Assignments and Course Work a. Personal Ethical Code of Conduct – What is your personal code of conduct? b. Creating an Ethical Scenario – Describe a scenario with a moral agent and ethical dilemma. c. Library Analysis – How to use the library and to find good sources. d. Ethical Analysis – An assignment that uses ethical theories to analyze a scenario. e. Debate – As part of a team, you will argue about an ethical dilemma concerning technology in a debate format. f. Current Events Presentation – This individual assignment focuses on an interesting and timely topic that shows the impact of technology on society. Each student shall present the topic in class during the term. g. Turkle Assignment.  This assignment is based on viewing a TED talk by Sherry Turkle and writing a report. See the Turkle Assignment instructions for content and format. h. Weekly Quiz – Each lecture will include a substantial discussion of a chapter.  To ensure you are prepared and have read the material, you must have completed the quiz for that chapter by the beginning of class. i. Midterm Report – Using your current events topic, you will demonstrate your understanding of beneficial aspects, detrimental aspects, intended and unintended consequences, and societal and ethical issues of your topic. j. Final Report – Demonstrate your ability to perform an ethical analysis on your current events topic, utilizing the prescribed format. 7. Community Service Internship (optional) – NJIT Career Services can provide you the opportunity to work with a Newark-area non-profit organization using your skills to help that organization achieve its goals. These experiences are often valuable, and great service can open doors for you/looks great on your CV/resume! 8. In-Class Article Review (optional) – 1 point if you give a 5-minute presentation on a TV show, podcast, or article you read that’s germane to this class Required Textbook, Readings & Materials Textbook (various options) Michael J. Quinn, Ethics for the Information Age, 7th edition (2017).    - printed, rental and online versions are available through the NJIT bookstore Alternative online version through VitalSource ($35): Link (If you have a hard copy of the sixth edition, it may be “mostly good enough”, but your weekly quizzes will mostly come from the 7th edition, and it has some new material.)  Readings & Materials All required articles will either be in the Canvas or available through the NJIT digital library.   IS 350 Syllabus 3 Note: From time to time, I may assign additional readings and other materials. Words of Wisdom Do not get behind in reading the text and articles! You will regret it! Suggestions, Questions, Problems and Falling Behind If you have any problems or feel like you are falling behind, please contact me as soon as possible.  It is your responsibility to recognize problems as early as possible, so we can work together to keep you progressing. Feel free to email me or make an appointment to visit during office hours if your comment is more private. I welcome suggestions and questions.  I encourage you to post these in the Canvas “Questions and Interesting Links” forum, so we can all share in the discussion. Grading and other Requirements:  “A” breakers – You must do 3 things to be eligible for an A. 1. Post all assignments on time.  Late assignments will lose 20% per day (not per class), and assignments more than one week late will not be accepted. 2. Participate in classroom and online discussions.  The percentages for all course work are as follows.  These are subject to adjustment.   Note that the instructor may decide to grade on a curve. Graded Items Percentage In-Class Participation 10% Assignments 30% Weekly Quizzes 10% Midterm Exercise and Report 20% Final Report 30% TOTAL   100% Grading Policy  A 90 and up  B+ 85 to 89  B 80 to 84  C+ 75 to 79  C 70 to 74  D 65 to 69  F less than 65 IS 350 Syllabus 4 What if I Don’t Agree with my Grade? If you do not agree with your grade, you have ONE (1) week to dispute it after it is posted.   Follow the instructions on Canvas. But What If Canvas Crashes and I Cannot Submit Homework or Complete my Midterm or Final? What if…?   It’s simply too bad. Would your boss accept such an excuse?  Do NOT wait till the last minute to do your homework or take your exam.  There are many computers on campus available for your use, hence, no excuse. Academic Honesty, Integrity and Cheating Academic Integrity is the cornerstone of higher education and is central to the ideals of this course and the university. Cheating is strictly prohibited and devalues the degree that you are working on. As a member of the NJIT community, it is your responsibility to protect your educational investment by knowing and following the academic code of integrity policy that is found at: http://www5.njit.edu/policies/sites/policies/files/academic-integrity-code.pdf     Please note that it is my professional obligation and responsibility to report any academic misconduct to the Dean of Students Office. Any student found in violation of the code by cheating, plagiarizing or using any online software inappropriately will result in disciplinary action. This may include a failing grade of F, and/or suspension or dismissal from the university. If you have any questions about the code of Academic Integrity, please contact the Dean of Students Office at dos@njit.edu.  

IS 350-102: Computers, Society and Ethics

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IS 350-102: Computers, Society and Ethics

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