CS 480: Computers and Society

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.

Translation: This course is about the ways in which computers and information technology affect our lives and society. It's about the moral and ethical choices we are faced with as producers and consumers of computing technology. It's also about the political dimentions of information technology, and the ways in which these areas influence each other.

What's the class like? The class is scheduled to meet MWF. Monday and Wednesday are classroom days, and Friday is an on-site day, where you will be performing Service Learning in conjunction with a community partner. (More on that below). Classroom days will be a mix of lecture, student-led and guided discussion, and guest speakers. 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!

What's this service thing about? CS 480 is a Service-Learning course, and has the SL core designation. During this course, you will be working with a San Francisco-based agency that provides computer access, training, and support to local communities. This experience will allow you to apply your knowledge to directly help others, and also give you first-hand experience about the ways in which technology (and the lack thereof) can affect the lives of the disenfranchised.

You will also be working on some specific projects with a more political dimension, which will provide a better understanding of how political infrastructure can be used to address the digital divide, and also how computers and the Internet are reshaping political discourse.

Service learning is an educational methodology that provides students with experiental education that is grounded in a project with a community partner. It is important to note that this is different from volunteering; you are not working in the community just to be nice, or solely to help out the underprivileged (although that's a part of it). It's also meant to be an educational experience for you; you'll be learning from the commuity partner as well as providing them with a service. By working with a community partner, you will learn about the way in which the issues we discuss in class are actually manifested in real-world community settings.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Distinguish the needs of the different parties having a stake in the privacy/security of a computer system.
Relate privacy and security considerations to real and constructed ethics cases.
Characterize the issues and controversies surrounding free speech, intellectual property, and fair use with respect to computers and the Internet.
Describe the issues and controversies surrounding file sharing, and distribution and ownership of digital content from a technical, legal, and ethical point of view.
Explain the issues and problems involved with placing trust in computational entities.
Discuss the growth and development of online communities and their potential benefits and dangers.
Develop a greater understanding of the ways in which a student's skill set and career can influence and impact the larger world.
Write about and reflect on the ways in which they are able to apply their skills and knowledge toward the USF mission.
Understand and evaluate the way that their skills and careers impact the larger world.
Think and write critically about contemporary moral and ethical issues relating to computers and technology.
Understand and write about the relationship between politics and information technology.

Requirements

The course will consist of the following graded components with the percent contribution to the grade listed. Grades (including +/-) are assigned as follows: A 92% and above; A- 90-92%; B+ 89-90%; B 82-88%; B- 80-81%; C+ 78-79%; C 72-78%; C-70-71%; D 60-69%; F 59% and below. For CS majors, C = 72% is the lowest passing grade.

Midterm (20%): This will be a take-home essay exam.
Final (20%): This will also be a take-home essay exam.
Attendance and participation. (10%): Students are expected to attend all classes and participate in class discussion. If you must miss class for a valid reason, you should notify the instructor in advance.
Assessment project (10%): The class will be responsible for preparing a policy statement for the Mayor's office detailing the current state of San Francisco technolgy centers and their recommendations.
Toolkit (10%): Each student will develop a toolkit that demonstrates how some Web technology can be used to encourage social change and political engagement.
Blog (10%): Each student must keep a blog devoted solely to this class. Each student is expected to post at least two entries per week. Some weeks I will give you specific topics to write about (such as "tell us about your community partner") and other weeks you may write about whatever you wish. Your entry may link to external sources, such as newspaper articles, Slashdot threads, other students' blogs, or web pages. (In fact, this is encouraged!) However, you should be sure to add your own commentary: just saying 'check this out!' is not sufficient. As always, you are expected to post and conduct discussions with respect for all participants. Flaming, name-calling, or insults will not be tolerated.
Service Learning component (20%, pass or fail the course). Fridays provide scheduled time for service learning, to be performed at a local nonprofit organization. The organizations we will work with this semester include Network Ministries, St. Anthony's Foundation, and the Boys and Girls' Club. Students are expected to spend at least 4 hours every two weeks onsite at this organization, assisting them with their computer-related and IT problems. Potential tasks will depend on your skills and the partner's needs, but may include working with users, providing tutoring, upgrading of machines, software installation and maintenance, troubleshooting and repair of system problems, database installation and maintenance, Web page design, and documentation of existing systems. This activity will satisfy students' Service Learning Core requirement.

Student performance on this aspect of the class will be evaluated by both the instructor(s) and the onsite liason at the end of the semester. Students who do not satisfactorily complete this portion of the course will not receive a passing grade in the class.

Grading Rubric

One thing to be aware of is that many of the assignments for this course involve a written component or a presentation. This requires a more subjective grading assessment than, for example, a computer program does.

I will grade your written and presentational work as follows:

50% quantitative: Did you satisfy the parameters of the assignment? For example, is your essay the correct length? Did you discuss all required topics?
50% qualitative: This is where I judge the depth or quality of your answers. This is necessarily subjective, but I will be interested in thoughtful, introspective reflections, well-argued or well-supported presentations, discussions that draw together points from different aspects of the class, and show depth and clarity of thought.

Readings

The required texts are:

Gift of Fire, 3rd Edition. Sara Baase.
Learning Through Serving. Christine Cress, et al.

We will also have supplementary reading (provided as handouts or online) from time to time.