Ethical & Social Impact of Computing, SYCS 390

This site is used in conjunction with the course. There may be errors in this material, and it should not be used in place of material given in the classes.

On-Line Quizzes:

• Quiz #1: Syllabus, see https://blackboard.howard.edu - take by Friday, 9/10, midnight
• Quiz #2: Chapters 1 & 2
• Quiz #3: Chapters 3 & 4, due Oct. 4th, 12 midnight
• Quiz #4: Chapter 5, due Oct. 4th, 12 midnight
• Quiz #5: Electoral College, due Nov. 3th, 12 midnight
• Quiz #6: Chapter 6 and class notes, due Nov. 5th, 12 midnight
• Quiz #7: Chapter 7 and class notes, due Nov. 8th, 12 midnight

Quizzes:

• None given yet.

Work Assigned:

• Create chart from class and place where your philosophical beliefs fall & give 1 paragraph justification.
• Homework #1, assigned 8/26/04.
• Homework #2: Last pages of Homo Economicus: Considerations in the Commercialization of Body Tissue, answer questions 1-4 on pages 76-77. Due Thursday, 9/16/04.
• Homework #3: Find a "pet peeve" and, using terms from chapter 1 and/or 2, write an essay regarding ethics. Make sure you identify, analyze and deliberate. Due 9/14/04, Tuesday.
• Homework #4: You were asked to read The Washington Post article, "College Fight for Influence Gets a Little Nasty," by Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, Mon. Sept. 20, 2004.
  Based on this article, write two arguments:
  1. For the Non-Profit (Traditional) Schools
  2. For the For-Profit Schools.
  Make sure you follow the rules in Chapter 3 of the textbook!
  Assigned 9/21/04, due 9/28/04.
• Homework #5, assigned 9/28/04, due 10/7/04.
• Homework #6, Internet Voting, assigned 10/14/04, due 10/21/04.
• Course Project, given 10/14/04

Reading Assigned:

• Chapter 1, assigned 8/24/04
• Philosophical Belief Systems, by R. Barger, given 8/26/04
• Chapter 2, assigned 9/9/04
• Chapter 3, assigned 9/9/04
• Chapter 4, assigned 9/16/04
• Chapter 5, assigned 9/28/04
• Chapter 6, assigned 10/19/04
• Chapter 7, assigned 10/28/04
• Chapter 8, assigned 11/02/04
• Chapter 9, assigned 11/04/04
• Chapter 10, assigned 11/09/04

Handouts:

• Syllabus, given 8/26/04
• Philosophical Belief Systems, by R. Barger, given 8/26/04
• Class Notes, given 8/26/04
• IP Class Notes, given 9/7/04
• Lilli, given 9/7/04
• Class Notes, given 9/9/04
• From Redesigning Creation, 9/9/04:
  • Homo Economicus: Considerations in the Commercialization of Body Tissue
  • Owning Tissue: The Point
  • Owning Tissue: The Counterpoint
• US Patent #4,438,032, Unique T-lymphocyte line and products derived therefrom, 9/9/04
• "College Fight for Influence Gets a Little Nasty," The Washington Post, Mon. Sept. 20, 2004, given 9/21/04
• "BO (Buffer Overflow): Bad for Everyone," Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE), given 9/23/04
• "Tiny Sensors that can Track Anything," The Washington Post, Sept. 24, 2004, given 9/28/04
• Survivor
• About the Midterm, 10/7/04
• Electoral Map
• A cartoon by Tom Toles, "The Country Where Every Vote Counts," from The Washington Post, 10/18/04, Monday
• "Problems You Can Shake a Joystick At: War Room to Sickroom, Video Games Are Red-Hot," by Jose Antonio Vargas, The Washington Post, 10/18/04, Monday
• All in one handout, 11/09/04:
  1. Art Without Cease, or Desist
  2. Complaint to FTC Says Amazon.com Violates Children's Privacy Law
  3. Jury Rules Against EBay in Patent Suit
  4. Free Mickey Mouse