| Semester: | Fall 2016 |
| Time: | Tuesday and Thursday, 2:30PM - 3:50 PM |
| Location: | Javits 109 |
| Text: |
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| Instructor: | Dr. Robert Kelly |
| E-mail: | robkelly@cs.stonybrook.edu |
| Office hours: | Tuesdays, 12:30PM-2:00PM Thursdays, 12:00Noon-1:30PM |
| Office location: | New Computer Science 218 |
This course deals with the impact of computers on us as individuals and on our society. Rapid changes in computing technology and in our use of that technology has changed the way we work, play, and interact with other people. These changes have created a flood of new social, legal, and ethical issues that demand critical examination. For example, technologies such as Gmail and FaceBook, along with music sharing sites and wikis impact our society in unanticipated ways.
Here are a few examples of the issues we will be talking about:
There are (at least) two sides to almost all of the questions we will consider in this course. We will spend much of our class time discussing the issues and exploring different points of view.
Upper division status is required to enroll in this course.
After successfully completing this course, you will have:
We will be following the syllabus closely. The assigned reading for the class is primarily contained in the textbook. However, you will to read additional material, usually found in documents (articles, standards, etc.) available on the Internet. The readings are included in the class notes and in a page on the class Web site.
Click on the lecture topic below to download a PDF file containing the class notes.
| Date | Topics | Textbook | Assignment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/30 (T) | Introduction | Due 9/11 | ||
| 9/1 | Background | Chap. 1 (1.1-1.3) read before class on 9/8 |
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| 9/6 (T) | No class (Labor Day Break) | |||
| 9/8 | Ethics Overview | Section 1.4 read before class |
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| 9/13 (T) | Privacy | Sections 2.1-2.2 read before class |
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| 9/15 | Privacy (continued) |
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| 9/20 (T) | Privacy (continued) | Section 2.3 read before class |
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| 9/22 | Quiz and Privacy (continued) | Section 2.4 read before class |
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| 9/27 (T) | Privacy (continued) | Sections 2-5-2.6 read before class |
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| 9/29 | Privacy (continued) | |||
| 10/4 (T) | Privacy (continued) | |||
| 10/6 | Quiz and Freedom of Speech | Sections 3.1-3.2 | ||
| 10/11 (T) | Freedom of Speech (continued) | Sections 3.3-3.4 wiki/WikiLeaks wiki/Anonymity |
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| 10/13 | Freedom of Speech (continued) | |||
| 10/18 (T) | Mid-term prep and IP | Sections 4.1-4.2 | ||
| 10/20 | Mid-term exam | |||
| 10/25 (T) | IP (continued) | |||
| 10/27 | Patents | Sections 4.2-4.5 | ||
| 11/1 (T) | Computer Crime | Sections 5.1-5.2 | ||
| 11/3 | Quiz and Computer crime (continued) | Sections 5.3-5.4 | ||
| 11/8 (T) | Identity Theft & Global Legal Structure | |||
| 11/10 | Work | Chap. 6 | ||
| 11/15 (T) | Work (continued) | |||
| 11/17 |
Quiz and Evaluating and Controlling Technology | Chap. 7, pp.311-329 | ||
| 11/22 (T) | Digital Divide | Chap 7, pp.329-350 | ||
| 11/24 | No class (Thanksgiving) | |||
| 11/29 (T) | Professional Ethics | Chap. 9 | ||
| 12/1 | Professional Ethics (continued) |
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| 12/6 (T) |
Review | |||
| 12/8 |
Errors | Chap. 8 | ||
| 12/19 Javits 109 |
Final Exam (1 hour exam) | 11:15-1:45 |
Most class assignments will involve preparation for a class discussion. Typically, this preparation will involve reading material beyond the text book as it relates to a single assigned topic. For many class sessions, 2-3 students will be asked to prepare for a discussion on a particular topic. This preparation typically will involve reading references cited in the text, usually about 20-30 pages.
This is a three credit graded course. Your final grade is based on a combination of a mid-term exam, a final exam, quizzes, and class discussions. The weighting of the these components is 25/25/20/30.
The mid-term exam, final exam, and the quizzes will be closed book, however most of the questions will be selected from among the review material in the textbook. Your total quiz grade is computed as the total of each quiz grade, with the lowest grade dropped.
Be sure to be there for the assigned examination time since there will be no make-up exams.
The Pass/No Credit (P/NC) option is not available for this course.
The class TAs are available to help you in understanding the material in many ways. They will provide hints and suggestions when they respond to your submission of a homework assignment. They will also be available in teaching sessions given in the Computer Science Teaching Lab. Click the link in the TA names below to pop up a mail window.
As a student at Stony Brook, you have agreed to follow the university's rules regarding academic integrity and appropriate conduct. You should read both the academic integrity information and procedures and the student code of conduct.
Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Any suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Judiciary.
Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn.
If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact on your ability to carry out assigned course work, I would urge that you contact the staff in the Disabled Student Services office (DSS) in the ECC building (where the Computer Store used to be), 632-6748v/TDD. DSS will review your concerns and determine with you what accommodations are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation of disability are confidential.
If you need general computer help, you can use the Computer Science Help Desk. Services offered include setting up an account on a department server, using Windows NT, using a browser, and connecting to the campus network. The Help Desk office is located in the SBCS Office - Room 2110.