ClassInfo

CSC 208 Ethics in Technology

Evelyn Lulis

Office: CDM 848
Winter 2014-2015
Class number: 20051
Section number: 201
TuTh 9:40AM - 11:10AM
LEVAN 00308 Lincoln Park Campus
Course homepage: https://d2l.depaul.edu/

Summary

Computing Technology and the rapid pace in which it has advanced have had a tremendous impact on our lives. Changes have been swift and the human capacity to deal them limited. It has been said that our technology has outpaced our humanity. This course will research the new responsibilities technology presents and our ability to deal with these changes in an ethical manner. Students will employ a framework for ethical analysis, which integrates computer science and ethics, to develop the skills required to examine different sets of assumptions and question them, resulting in an informed evaluation of issues.



Texts

Required:
1. Quinn, M. J. (2012) Ethics for the Information Age, 5th edition. NY:Pearson/Addison Wesley. ISBN-10: 0-13-285553-4; ISBN-13: 978-0-13-285553-2
2. (Free) Abelson & Ledeen & Lewis (2008) Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion. NY:Addison-Wesley Professional, ISBN 0137135599. Download for free at: http://www.bitsbook.com/excerpts/
3. Access to the news. Possible sources: New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, MSN, Time, Newsweek, PC World, or online newsgroups. You may find newspapers, journals, and magazines at the library and online.
4. A flash drive, or cloud storage.

Recommended:
1. St. Martin's Handbook, 5th or 6th edition, Bedford Publishing. This text is used in DePaul's required writing classes (WRD 103 and 104) and every student should have a copy. It is also available at DePaul's library.
2. A dictionary and thesaurus, which can be found at the library or online.


Grading

Detailed syllabus will be posted on D2L: https://d2l.depaul.edu/

20% Quizzes/homework/4 Labs
20% current events
20% One paper with mandatory rewrite and presentation (Your choice: work in a group, or alone)
20% Final Project
20% Class Participation/in class work


Prerequisites

None
No previous knowledge of computers or philosophy is assumed, or necessary.


Resources for Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential. To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at: Student Center, LPC, Suite #370 Phone number: (773)325.1677 Fax: (773)325.3720 TTY: (773)325.7296


Religious Holidays

I will make accommodations to allow students to fully express their faith. Please let me know in advance by email if you will be absent, or need extensions on assignments.


School policies:

Changes to Syllabus

This syllabus is subject to change as necessary during the quarter. If a change occurs, it will be thoroughly addressed during class, posted under Announcements in D2L and sent via email.

Online Course Evaluations

Evaluations are a way for students to provide valuable feedback regarding their instructor and the course. Detailed feedback will enable the instructor to continuously tailor teaching methods and course content to meet the learning goals of the course and the academic needs of the students. They are a requirement of the course and are key to continue to provide you with the highest quality of teaching. The evaluations are anonymous; the instructor and administration do not track who entered what responses. A program is used to check if the student completed the evaluations, but the evaluation is completely separate from the student’s identity. Since 100% participation is our goal, students are sent periodic reminders over three weeks. Students do not receive reminders once they complete the evaluation. Students complete the evaluation online in CampusConnect.

Academic Integrity and Plagiarism

This course will be subject to the university's academic integrity policy. More information can be found at http://academicintegrity.depaul.edu/ If you have any questions be sure to consult with your professor.

All students are expected to abide by the University's Academic Integrity Policy which prohibits cheating and other misconduct in student coursework. Publicly sharing or posting online any prior or current materials from this course (including exam questions or answers), is considered to be providing unauthorized assistance prohibited by the policy. Both students who share/post and students who access or use such materials are considered to be cheating under the Policy and will be subject to sanctions for violations of Academic Integrity.

Academic Policies

All students are required to manage their class schedules each term in accordance with the deadlines for enrolling and withdrawing as indicated in the University Academic Calendar. Information on enrollment, withdrawal, grading and incompletes can be found at http://www.cdm.depaul.edu/Current%20Students/Pages/PoliciesandProcedures.aspx.

Students with Disabilities

Students who feel they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact the instructor privately to discuss their specific needs. All discussions will remain confidential.
To ensure that you receive the most appropriate accommodation based on your needs, contact the instructor as early as possible in the quarter (preferably within the first week of class), and make sure that you have contacted the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) at:
Lewis Center 1420, 25 East Jackson Blvd.
Phone number: (312)362-8002
Fax: (312)362-6544
TTY: (773)325.7296