CS 3000: Professional and Societal Issues in Computing

CS 3000: Professional and Societal Issues in Computing

Semester Hours:   3.0
Contact Hours:   3
Coordinator:   Venu Dasigi
Text:   Ethics for the Information Age, 9th Edition
Author(s):   Michael J. Quinn
Year:   2024

SPECIFIC COURSE INFORMATION

Catalog Description

Impact of computers, the Internet, data, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and related computer technology on society and the social forces underlying the rapid and widespread adoption of computer technology. Explores personal privacy, intellectual property, legislative and constitutional issues, changing labor force composition, and professional ethics. The goal is to equip students to critically analyze the societal implications of computing and data-driven technologies, and to consider the ethical responsibilities of technology professionals. Not a programming course. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in CS 1010 or higher. Approved for distance education.

Course type: REQUIRED

SPECIFIC COURSE GOALS

  • Compare the strengths and weaknesses of relevant professional codes (e.g., IEEE/ACM Code of Ethics) as expressions of professionalism and guides to decision making
  • Discuss social and ethical issues that arise in information technology contexts including artificial intelligence and machine learning
  • Distinguish among patent, copyright, and trade secret protections, considering the impact of their underlying technologies
  • Explain mechanisms for protecting privacy in the context of computer technology
  • Examine the significant issues underlying the use of technology in a variety of contemporary social contexts, including artificial intelligence and machine learning

COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENT OUTCOMES ADDRESSED BY THIS COURSE

  • CS 4 Recognize professional responsibilities and make informed judgments in computing practice based on legal and ethical principles

SOFTWARE ENGINEERING STUDENT OUTCOMES ADDRESSED BY THIS COURSE

  • SE 4 An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts

LIST OF TOPICS COVERED

  • Controversies and alternative points of view, such as
    • privacy vs. access to information
    • privacy vs. law enforcement
    • freedom of speech vs. control of content on the Net
    • market-based vs. regulatory solutions to problems
    • controversies about banning technologies that can have negative impacts
  • How computers change established social and legal institutions and conventions, and the need for those institutions to adapt to computers.
  • Perspectives:
    • comparing risks and problems of computer technology with other technologies
    • noncomputerized alternatives
    • benefits of computers
  • Solutions to computer related problems from technology, the market, management, education and law.
  • How organizations and governments attempt to control computer technology.
  • Recent significant court cases and decisions.
  • The ethical issues impacting computer professionals and their employers and clients.
  • Current controversies, such as
    • Censorship of the Internet
    • Government restrictions on encryption
    • The impact of electronic media on intellectual property
    • Privacy threats from government and business databases
    • Privacy of email
    • Neo-Luddite criticisms of computing
    • Hacking and computer crime
  • Ethical issues and challenges in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML)
    • Bias, fairness, and transparency in AI/ML systems
    • Regulation and recent court cases involving AI/ML
    • The impact of AI/ML and automation on employment and the workforce
    • The environmental impact of data centers and AI/ML technologies

COMPUTER SECURITY TOPICS

Faculty who recently offered CS 3000 have discussed and identified a list of topics related to computer security in this course. Below is a list for instructors to incorporate. (*) indicates topics that are mandatory.

Security Topic

Description

Textbook Reference1

Estimated Class Hours

*Ethical hacking

As an example, a case study on FireSheep tool which can potentially hijack web sessions. FireSheep showed to the world how easily someone can hack into other's Facebook or Twitter account (in 2011), which has ultimately forced these companies to make their (social networking) platform more secure. However, question remains on whether it is ethical to use/build such a hacking tool.

Chapter 7

1

*Privacy issues

The textbook of CS 3000 has a dedicated chapter on privacy issues. This could naturally help students understand the privacy breach problem, and how to protect themselves.

Chapter 5

2

1Ethics for the Information Age by Quinn, 9th Edition.

Updated: 12/03/2025 04:14PM