CS 456 - Social and Professional Issues in Computing

Fall 2018

Class times:

• Section 101, TR 12:30 - 1:45PM in KEC 118

Instructor:

David Babcock, dbabcock@ycp.edu, KEC111 (815-6442)
Office hours: M 2-3PM; T 2-3PM; W 1-3PM; R 8:30-9:30AM; or by appointment

Course Description

This course studies the social impact, implications, and effects of computers, and the responsibilities of computer professionals in directing the emerging technology. Specific topics include an overview of the history of computing, computer applications and their impact, the computing profession, the legal and ethical responsibilities of professionals, and careers in computing.

Prerequisites

Minimum 89 credits completed.

Textbook

No required text.

Course Structure and Expectations

Class meetings will be primarily a discussion of various issues relevant to computing and technology. There will be required reading materials for each class, and it is important to come to class prepared to discuss the issues presented in the reading.

There will be a student led discussion, two exams, and a final paper.

As this course is entirely discussion based, it is imperative that you attend all classes and do any reading prior to class.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Understand the basic concepts of ethics, morality, and logical arguments/fallacies
• Follow the responsibilities of computer professionals as defined by the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice
• Argue viewpoints concerning the current legal and ethical status of intellectual property rights – specifically trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, patents, and licensing – as they relate to computer software
• Present justified rationale on privacy, security, and censorship policies in the realm of computer networks and the Internet
• Develop arguments regarding the social implications and inequities arising from the expansion of technology in the global community

Policies

Grades

Your overall grade for the course will be determined as follows:

• Attendance/Participation: 10%
• Discussion presentation: 5%
• Midterm exam: 25%
• Final exam: 25%
• Final paper: 35%

Grades are assigned on a 100-point scale:

Numeric Range	Letter Grade
90-100	A (4.0)
87-90	B+ (3.5)
80-87	B (3.0)
77-80	C+ (2.5)
70-77	C (2.0)
60-70	D (1.0)
0-60	F (0.0)

Course website

Please check the course web page, regularly for important announcements.

Exams

Exams will consist of an in-class discussion period and a subsequent write-up period. They will be evaluated based on an understanding of the material discussed in class along with your independent critique of the topic supported by references from the reading materials.

Reading Assignments

Reading assignments will be primarily drawn from relevant industry journal articles as well as websites which provide discussions of current issues regarding computing and technology. The reading assignments are posted on the course schedule. I expect you to do the reading before class. Class time will be for discussing the points presented in the reading material.

Final Paper/Presentation

The intent of the research paper is to provide an opportunity to investigate a particular issue of interest in greater depth. The topic will be accompanied by a student led class discussion about the various aspects of the issue. You will be required to provide the instructor with several relevant articles and/or websites prior to your discussion period for distribution to the class. Further details will be provided later in the semester.

Academic Integrity

York College’s mission statement stipulates that strict adherence to principles of academic honesty is expected of all students. Therefore, academic dishonesty will not be tolerated at York College. Academic dishonesty refers to actions such as, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, fabricating research, falsifying academic documents, etc., and includes all situations where students make use of the work of others and claim such work as their own.

The following policy pertains to all graded work in this course:

All graded (individual) assignments are to be completed individually. I encourage you to discuss high level concepts with other students, but any work you submit must be yours alone.

Direct copying of solutions or work from other students, web sites, or other sources is absolutely forbidden under any circumstances.

Any sources (books, websites, articles, fellow students, etc.), except for the course textbook and lecture notes, that you consult in completing an assignment must be properly acknowledged. In general, I strongly discourage you from using any resource not explicitly listed in the course syllabus or on the course web page but rather asking the instructor for assistance.

When a faculty member believes a student has committed an act of academic dishonesty, the faculty member must inform the student in writing and then has ten business days from that written notification to the student to report the incident to the Dean of Academic Affairs and the Department Chair. Documentation related to instances of academic dishonesty will be kept on file in the student’s permanent record. If the academic dishonesty is the student’s first offense, the faculty member will have the discretion to decide on a suitable sanction up to a grade of 0 for the course. Students are not permitted to withdraw from a course in which they have been accused of academic dishonesty.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes and read the appropriate text material prior to class. If you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to notify the professor prior to class. Students are responsible for all material covered in class.

You may work ahead and submit any assignments early, but you must not fall behind. Class time is intended to be used for answering questions about the reading, labs, and assignments. You are responsible for keeping up with the reading assignments as described in the schedule.

Professionalism

I expect you to conduct yourself as a professional in this course. Professionalism includes:

• Respect for and courteous interaction with peers, faculty and facilities;
• Integrity, which includes at its core honesty, responsibility and accountability for one’s own actions;
• Sensitivity and appreciation for diverse cultures, backgrounds, and life experiences;
• Constructive evaluation, which means that criticism is offered and accepted in a productive manner;
• Self-reflection and identification of one’s own strengths and weaknesses;
• Responsibility for one’s own education and learning;
• An attitude that fosters professional behavior in colleagues and peers;
• Punctuality at meetings and class sessions;
• Attentive behavior during class sessions, avoiding personal or social use of cell phones, laptops, or other electronic devices;
• Acknowledgement of the Kinsley Engineering Center as a professional workplace, and treatment of this facility as a business or office space, not as an informal space.

I reserve the right to enforce this code through the York College Code of Student Conduct.

Use of Personal Technology in the Classroom

While York College recognizes students’ need for educational and emergency-related technological devices such as laptops, PDA’s, cellular phones, etc., using them unethically or recreationally during class time is never appropriate. The college recognizes and supports faculty members’ authority to regulate in their classrooms student use of all electronic devices.

Communication Standards

York College recognizes the importance of effective communication in all disciplines and careers. Therefore, students are expected to competently analyze, synthesize, organize, and articulate course material in papers, examinations and presentations. In addition, students should know and use communication skills current to their field of study, recognize the need for revision as part of their writing process, and employ standard conventions of English usage in both writing and speaking. Students may be asked to further revise assignments that do not demonstrate effective use of these communication skills.

Disability Support Services

If you had an IEP or 504 plan in high school or if you have a disability or health condition that impacts you in the classroom, please contact Linda Miller, Director of Disability Support Services, at 815-1785 or lmille18@ycp.edu to discuss obtaining the accommodations for which you may be eligible. If you already have an accommodation memo and wish to access your accommodations in this class, please see me confidentially to discuss.

Disclaimer

This syllabus is subject to change by the instructor.