GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Department of Computer Science
Course Description Spring 1999

CS 105 Computer Ethics and Society, 1 unit

Section 001 Mon/Wed 3-4:15pm R B208 1/25-3/10 Final Exam: 3/10
Section 002 Mon/Wed 3-4:15pm R B208 3/22-5/5 Final Exam: 5/5
Instructor: Anne Marchant, amarchan@gmu.edu, 993-1526
Office hours: Mon, Wed 4:30-5:30pm, Thurs 3-4pm and by appointment ST II, rm. 405

Click here for Course Web Page
http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~amarchan/cs105/cs105.html

Click here for Bibliography and References: Ethics Resource Guide and References
http://www.cs.gmu.edu/~amarchan/ethics.html
"Barring that natural expression of villany which we all have, the man looked honest enough."
Mark Twain
DESCRIPTION
Legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding software development and computer use. Professional conduct, social responsibility and rigorous standards for software testing and reliability will be stressed. Issues such as liability, ownership of information, privacy, security, and crime will be examined. Students will read, write, discuss and present reports on these topics. There are no prerequisites for this course. However, students are expected to be able to do research on the Internet.

GRADING POLICY

  1. Students will have a choice of either a 3-5 page paper or an oral report (20%)
    click here for topics
  2. mandatory 5-7 page paper/project (30%)
    click here for topics
    Papers may be presented as web pages. Web pages must be in the student's own mason account. All papers must show that you have done research and must include footnotes and bibliography. (Either APA or MLA format is fine.)
  3. final exam (30%)
  4. homework (10%) (not accepted late)
  5. class participation (10%)
No late papers will be accepted. Plagiarism will be reported to the Honor Code Committee. (Write in your own words. Direct quotations must be in quotes or indented. Quotes must always be footnoted.)

SCHEDULE
Week 1
Introduction: Ethics, Computers and Society
Ethical Tools: Ethical Codes and Personal Standards
Discussion: Cheating

Reading: chs. 1, 10, ACM Code of Conduct (ch. 10.5),
GMU Honor Code (www.gmu.edu/catalog/acadpol6.html),
GMU Computer Use Agreement (http://www.gmu.edu/facstaff/policy/administrative/60.html),

Week 2
Crime and Hackers, Netiquette
Discussion: Ethics in daily life, Hacking

Reading: ch. 7

Week 3
Privacy, Encryption
Student Reports

Reading: chs. 2, 3

Week 4
Laws and Law Enforcement, Security and Risks, Health Issues
Student Reports

Reading: ch. 4, 8

Week 5
Information Ownership, Intellectual Property
Student Reports

Reading: ch. 5

Week 6
Personal Responsibility, Liability, Software Engineering Practices, Decision Making Models
Discussion: "whistle-blowing"

Reading: chs. 9

Week 7
An "Information Society," The Internet and the Future, Freedom of Expression
Final Review

Reading: ch. 6

REQUIRED TEXT:
Baase, Sara. A Gift of Fire. Prentice Hall, 1997.
(A copy is on reserve in the Johnson Center Library.)

Recommended Text: Neumann, Peter, G. Computer-Related Risks. Addison Wesley, 1995.

(Additional references may be drawn from current media articles and students will be directed to relevant WWW pages.)