Course Description

CS 3000. Professional and Societal Issues in Computing (3). Summer. Impact of computers, the Internet and related computer technology on society and the social forces underlying the rapid and widespread adoption of computer technology. Personal privacy, intellectual property, legislative and constitutional issues, changing labor force composition, professional ethics. Not a programming course. Prerequisite: CS 2010 or equivalent. Approved for Distance Ed.

Course Syllabus

1. Controversies and alternative points of view such as ...
   1. privacy vs. access to information
   2. privacy vs. law enforcement
   3. freedom of speech vs. control of content on the Net
   4. market-based vs. regulatory solutions to problems
   5. controversies about banning technologies that can have negative impacts
2. How computers change established social and legal institutions and conventions, and the need for those institutions to adapt to computers.
3. Perspectives:
   1. comparing risks and problems of computer technology with other technologies
   2. noncomputerized alternatives
   3. benefits of computers
4. Solutions to computer related problems from technology, the market, management, education and law.
5. How organizations and governments attempt to control computer technology.
6. Recent significant court cases and decisions.
7. The ethical issues impacting computer professionals and their employers and clients.
8. Current controversies such as ...
   1. Censorship of the Internet
   2. Government restrictions on encryption
   3. The impact of electronic media on intellectual property
   4. Privacy threats from government and business databases
   5. Privacy of email
   6. Neo-Luddite criticisms of computing
   7. Hacking and computer crime

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing CS 3000, the student will be able to ...

• compare daily life before and after the advent of personal computing and the Internet
• interpret the social context of a particular computing implementation
• describe the positive and negative ways in which computing alters the modes of interaction between people
• explain why computing/network access is restricted in some countries
• specify the strengths and weaknesses of relevant professional codes as expressions of professionalism and guides to decision-making
• identify ethical issues that arise in software development and determine how to address them technically and ethically
• analyze a global computing issue, observing the role of the professionals and government officials in managing the problem
• distinguish among patent, copyright, and trade secret protection and be able to identify the impact of technology on their implementations and enforcement
• discuss the consequences of software piracy on software developers and the role of relevant enforcement organizations
• summarize the legal bases for the right to privacy and the freedom of expression in the US
• describe contemporary computer-based threats to privacy
• explain how the Internet may change the historical balance in protecting freedom of expression
• explain the advantages and disadvantages of freedom of expression in cyberspace
• describe trends in privacy protection as exemplified in technology