Social
Implications of Computer Technology (CS301)
Course Information and
Policies
Course Description
An in-depth examination of moral and ethical issues created by advancing computer technology. Review of ethical theories and examination of issues in malfunction liability, privacy, power, ownership and intellectual property. Discussion of social trends and their possible effects. Extensive reading, classroom discussion, and class presentations required. Course Information
Course
Instructor – Professor Roy Ogawa (New Instructor!)
Assessment
It is expected that the grading
for the course will be allocated as indicated below. (This allocation may change during
the semester.)
Computer Labs
The primary UNLV laboratory
resource for this class will be lab B-361. Any problems with Lab resources in B-361 are to be
reported to the Department system administrator, Mr. John Kowalski at johnmk
@ cs.unlv.edu. Students are welcome to use
their own computer equipment to complete assignments when possible. If a student chooses to use his/her
own equipment, the students is responsible for ensuring that any code
developed on personal equipment is able to be run and evaluated by the TA,
without modification, on UNLV's lab machines. It is strongly recommended that students test this prior
to submitting the assignment. Classroom Environment
To maintain an optimal learning
environment, students should not converse amongst themselves during class
except during designated classroom discussion periods. If an urgent matter
arises that requires students to converse they should exit the classroom as
unobtrusively as possible and not return to class during that lecture. Cell
phones and beepers must remain off at all times out of consideration for
other students. Project
The project is an “in class”
presentation, which may include a demonstration. All students will complete at least one presentation
during the semester. Students
should plan to present for 30 minutes.
As students and/or the instructor will often interrupt the presentation
to comment or ask questions, the total time that the student will be in front
of the class will likely be longer, e.g., 50 minutes. Students must submit a one to
two page outline of their presentation for review two weeks prior to their
presentation date (unless you present near the start of the semester). Feedback from the review of this
outline, if any, should be used to create the presentation material, e.g., MS
Powerpoint, OpenOffice Impress or Adobe PDF slides. Students must then submit their complete presentation
materials for review one week prior to the presentation. Instructor feedback from this review
should be used to revise the presentation material. The submissions mentioned above must be e-mailed
directly to the instructor. The
reviews benefit the student as it provides him/her with feedback prior to the
in-class presentation evaluation.
The last week should be used to practice the presentation and to test
the presentation materials on the classroom presentation equipment. Immediately after the
presentation, the student must submit (by e-mail or CD-ROM) the final
presentation material to the instructor. Failure to adhere to the submission procedures above
will negatively affect your project grade. An evaluation form will be e-mailed back to the student.
Do not hesitate to contact the instructor for guidance regarding your
presentation or the submission procedure above. The presentation assessment will include the following criteria: ·
Clarity of Presentation ·
Quality of Presentation Materials ·
Demonstrated Depth of Understanding of Topic ·
Ability to Properly Field Questions during the
Presentation ·
Adherence to Submission Schedule and the Quality of the
Submissions ·
Effective Utilization of Time Allotted ·
Overall Professionalism ·
Adherence to the presentation guidelines below Presentation Guidelines: 1.
Presentations should not be entirely technical in
nature. This class addresses
social, legal and ethical issues related to computer technology. No less than half of the presentation
should addresses non-technical issues. 2.
All material not conceived by the student that appears in
the presentation material (slides) should be referenced in the presentation,
e.g., by a footnote that credits the authors. Presenting the work of others without a reference gives
the appearance that you created the work, which is unethical if this is not
the case. 3.
Do not simply read text to the class that appears on the
presentation slides.
Presentations of this nature are usually not interesting. You should practice the presentation
so that bullet items on slides serve as reminders to you what to say. However you may create additional
paper notes that assist you remember what to say when certain slides appear. 4.
Be aware that just because information appears on the
Internet does not mean that it is correct. There is no referee process or “accuracy police” on the
Internet. Anyone can post
anything. The Internet has an
extensive amount of misinformation that was posted both intentionally and
unintentionally. Identify, and
more importantly, qualify, the source of the web content. 5.
A technical product’s marketing material is often long on
hype and promises, often exaggerated or simply untrue, but usually short on
technical detail. Beware of
including descriptions or claims appearing in this marketing material as fact
in your presentation. 6.
Don’t borrow and present slides from others without
reference, nor without a complete understanding of the content of the
slides. Ensure you completely
understand all material that appears in your presentation. You will lose points on the
presentation if you include text or diagrams that you cannot fully describe
to the class. 7.
Do not put so much text on a slide that it becomes
unreadable to the class.
Remember to evaluate your presentation as if you were the viewer. Would you want to be at the back of
the classroom squinting to view tiny letters? 8.
Test your presentation slides (or demo) in advance to
ensure that it presents properly using the classroom presentation
hardware. For example, yellow
text on white background is virtually invisible on the classroom’s video
equipment. 9.
You are welcome and encouraged to include your personal
views about your topic in your presentation. However, clearly differentiate your personal opinions from
known (provable) facts. Support
your personal views via the staged presentation of objective, reputable and
accurate reference material.
Unsupported opinion statements will likely be challenged. 10.
The
production of quality slides is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition to
receive a good grade. You must
also have obtained an understanding of the concepts underlying the slides so
you can present the material effectively and answer questions. Some example topics that students have selected are: HIPAA and
Privacy, PGP and its legal implication, the affect of data communication on
the workplace, cyberwarfare, identify theft and its impact on society,
ethical behavior of the software professional, the effect of video game
culture on children, anonymity technology and its importance to protect free
speech, and the impact of US culture on the world as enabled by high speed
data communications. Independent and Original
Work Requirement All graded work that you submit
must be entirely and exclusively your own work. Students are strongly encouraged to explore and discuss
general concepts and complete sample (non-graded) exercises with classmates.
It is acceptable, and also encouraged, to form groups in order to help each
other understand course concepts and complete non-graded exercises. However, when it comes time to
work on graded assignments, student must then work independently,
i.e., without the assistance of other students or anyone else. The only exception is that you may
seek assistance from the teaching assistant or instructor during their office
hours or you can make an appointment to meet with them. Any other assistance in producing a
graded assignment submission is unacceptable and will result in severe
disciplinary action, e.g., a failing grade in the course and/or expulsion
from the university. Consult the instructor if you need assistance in
understanding the distinction. Exams
All
exams will be administered during scheduled class times except for the final
examination. The date and time
of the final examination can be obtained from UNLV’s web site. Exams cannot be taken early nor will
make-up exams be administered.
If you anticipate a problem in attending an exam on the scheduled
date, or miss one, please discuss the matter with the instructor as soon as
possible. All exams will be
comprehensive, i.e., cover all class material presented from the first day of
class until the date of the exam, unless you are advised otherwise. Attendance
Students are required to attend
class, i.e., attendance is mandatory. All material presented in class is
examinable, even if not appearing on presentation slides or in the
textbook. If a student misses
class for any reason, it is the student's responsibility to determine what
material was missed and to take action to compensate for the deficiency
(contact the instructor). Missing class will adversely affect the class
participation component of your grade.
If for some unavoidable reason a student will miss class regularly
he/she should contact the instructor at the start of the semester so the
instructor can determine if alternate arrangements can be made to accommodate
the student. UNLV Policies
If you have a documented
disability that requires assistance, you will need to go to the Disability
Services (DS) for coordination in your academic accommodations. DS is located
within the Learning Enhancement Services office in the The University requires all
members of the University Community to familiarize themselves and follow
copyright and fair use requirements. You are individually and solely responsible
for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The University will neither
protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student
violations of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you
to federal and state civil penalties and criminal liability as well as
disciplinary action under University policies. To help familiarize yourself with copyright and fair use
policies, the University encourages you to visit its copyright web page at: www.unlv.edu/committees/copyright/.
Course Change Disclaimer
The course information
described within this document may change during the semester. Students will be given adequate time
to prepare for any changes should they occur |