Schedule for CS 4001B: Computing, Society, & Professionalism, Fall 2009

Date Topic Readings Assignment
8/18 Welcome & Overview    
8/20 Case Study: Therac-25 "Medical Devices: The Therac-25" by Nancy Leveson  
8/25 Reading Arguments WA 1 & 2  
8/27 Utilitarianism Quinn Chapter 2  
9/1 No class    
9/3 Deontology & Social Contract Theory Quinn Chapter 2, continued Reading the Argument of a Current Article
9/8 Core & Logical Structure of Arguments WA 3 & 4  
9/10 Stakeholder Analysis & Virtue Ethics
  • In a Different Voice by Carol Gilligan, pp. 25-39 (electronic reserve)
  • Virtue Ethics, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
 Please come to class with a short quote from one of the readings that you find interesting.
9/15 Professional Ethics
  • Quinn Chapter 8
  • Article "Using the New ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making" by Anderson et al (electronic reserve)
Applying Ethical Frameworks to a Dilemma
9/17 Freedom of Speech Quinn Chapter 3  
9/22 Privacy Assignment is now due Thursday.
9/24 Privacy, continued Date extended: Term Paper Proposals
9/29 Discussion of Term Paper Proposals
& Midterm Review		   Come to class prepared to tell everyone about your term paper topic.
10/1 Midterm    
10/6   Fall Break  
10/8 Do Artifacts Have Politics? "Do Artifacts Have Politics?" by Langdon Winner (electronic reserve)  
10/13 Evidence WA 5  
10/15 Moving your Audience & Responding to Alternate Views WA 6 & 7  
10/20 Intellectual Property Quinn Chapter 4, through end of 4.6 Term Paper Outline
10/22 Software as Intellectual Property Quinn Chapter 4, continued (4.7-end)  
10/27
(asb at WikiSym)		 No class    
10/29 Visual Argument Visual & Statistical Thinking: Displays of Evidence for Decision Making by Tufte  
11/3 The Patriot Act Wikipedia Articles:  
11/5 When do People Cheat?
Ethical Conduct in the Real World		 Chapter from "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely (electronic reserve)  
11/10

Term Paper Presentations

   Term Papers
11/12 Term Paper Presentations    
11/17 Term Paper Presentations    
11/19 Work & Wealth Quinn Chapter 9  
11/24 No class    
11/26

Happy Thanksgiving!
(no class)

   
12/1 Simulation Sedutions of Sim by Paul Starr  
12/3 Final Exam Review   Revised Term Papers (optional)

Readings and assignments are subject to change.