CS300 Computers in SocietyCourse SyllabusFall 2007Internet-BasedCS300 Computers in SocietyCourse SyllabusFall 2007Internet-BasedInstructor: Rekha GuptaCS Office: Hughes Hall, Room 1106CS Office phone: 757-683-3915Email Address: [email protected] Text- A Gift of Fire Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing; Sara Baase, Prentice HallCourse ObjectivesUpon successful completion of this course, the student will have gained an increased awareness of the relative impact that the technological development of the digital computer has had and is expected have on society. The primary focus will be on the problems posed by and benefits offered by computers. Students will research areas of computers in society to include technological hardware advances, as well as software packages. Students will explore the applications of computers in education, government, business, transportation, medicine, and the home. The secondary focus will evaluate the impacts of computers on personal privacy, constitutional issues, computer crime and fraud, and the importance of studying reliability and encryption. The views and opinions of all students will be presented in open forum discussions on specific topics. The students will be responsible for the "current events" component of the course. The text focuses more on the problems and their possible solutions in relation to the secondary focus. We will utilize other resources to augment the benefits portion of the course.Course LimitationsThe subject area of "Computers in Society" is so vast that CS 300 can do nothing more than scratch the surface. We will aim for breadth rather than depth in the “lectures” and for depth rather than breadth in the forum presentations and written assignments. We will strive to strike a balance between a systematic approach and a current-event dominated approach. Course ReferencesIn addition to the required text, supplements from the World Wide Web will be utilized. The course structure supplies a copy of the syllabus, written project, and oral forum descriptions. It also contains copies of the presentation slides used in the “lectures” and a list of useful URLs.Course TopicsThe following topics are planned:History of computers and definitions of a society History of the Internet and current uses Societal issues due to computers Computers and their roles in the areas of: - Communications - Government - Privacy and Information - Security - Computer Crime - Education - Business - Transportation - Medicine - Reliability - Intellectual Property/Constitutional Issues - Professional Ethics and ResponsibilitiesCourse Requirements1. A current event must be submitted each week pertaining to a given societal topic area.These submissions must be accompanied by a description of how computers are utilized and their impact on the related societal topic. Information may be found in any of the following areas, but is certainly not limited to them: newspapers, magazines, television, and the Internet. As this is an important part of the class, participation in this segment will form a portion of the final grade. 2. Each student will complete a research project that will consist of a final paper. The project must address issues relevant to the spectrum of course topics. 3. Students will be placed into groups to determine a debatable topic for the basis of a forum presentation, which will summarize the salient issues. The intent is to educate the class and incite class discussion.4. There will be two exams. These will consist of guided essay-style questions pertaining to topics addressed in the lectures, readings, and forum discussions. 5. Students will be required to discuss/debate course related topics each week through an Internet discussion board. Grades will be earned for the discussions based upon their content and relevance.Course EvaluationFinal grades will be based on the following weights:Current Events 15%Two exams (15% per test) 30%Final paper 20%Forum presentation 20%Discussion participation 15%Course PoliciesIf the files for the written project, oral presentation, and exams are not turned in on or before the designated due dates, a grade of ZERO will be assigned for the missed grading element unless the instructor has given prior permission. Any student who fails toperform in a satisfactory manner on the course project may possibly not pass the course regardless of the student's overall point total.Every communication provided by students must be professional and respectful. All course related communication will be read by the instructor and/or the teaching assistant. Any deemed unacceptable can result in a grade penalty, and may be reported as a violation of the Honor Code. Any plagiarism will be dealt with severely, with a minimum penalty of a grade of ZERO for the assignment. This is considered a violation of the Honor Code, and could result in formal