CSC 208 Ethics in Technology
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 on COLweb: https://col.cdm.depaul.edu
20% Quizzes/homework/4 Labs
20% Weekly 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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