Here's the catalog description:

Computer and network security measures; encryption protocols. Ethical theory and applications in computing. Seminar discussion on value systems, social impact, and human factors, and about use and misuse of computers. Four hours lecture. Offered Fall 2004.

Huh? So what does this mean?

At the highest level, this course is about the way in which computers affect and impact our lives and society. It's less about how to make computers perform a set of tasks than about the implications of computers performing tasks.

There are really three aspects to the course:

• Security and encryption: This is the most technical/traditional portion of the course. We'll talk about the details of modern encryption techniques, such as RSA, as well as the computational infrastructure needed to make such a system work. If you want to know why it's OK to use your credit card over the web, this will answer it for you.
• Ethics and Society. We'll spend a lot of time discussing (I'll expect you to be an active participant) the ways in which computers and modern technology affect our society, and the issues they raise. This will include ethical problems (essentially, what's the right thing to do and why), societal issues, health issues, and political issues.
• Service. This course also has a service learning component. You will be spending time volunteering your computer skills at a local nonprofit agency, and also reflecting on your service. Notice that 'service learning' is two separate words; youre exptected not only to perform a service to the community, but also to get something out of it yourself (the 'learning' component).

What's the class like?

The class will be a mix of lectures (mostly for the technical topics), guest speakers, guided discussion, and student presentations. This will definitely be an 'active learning' class; rather than sitting and listening, learning will come through discussion and debate. I hope to also learn a lot from you!