Schedule for CSC 190B/290S:
Social Implications of Computing

Fall 2010

This schedule will evolve over the course of the semester.  Check back frequently! 
NB:  Readings and assignments are listed on the date by which they must be completed, not the date they are assigned.

Wed. Sep. 1:  Introduction and brainstorming of topics
Mon. Sep. 6
Labor Day; no class
Wed. Sep. 8:  Changes brought on by computing and the Internet
Reading:  Textbook Chapter 1
Assignment Due:  Find an article in the “reputable” media (an outlet that researches its stories, and is quick to acknowledge and correct any factual errors) that appeared in the last month and that addresses social implications of computing.  Write a one-page summary of/reaction to the article, and post to the class discussion group on Blackboard.  Articles already appearing on my current events page don’t count. 
Mon. Sep. 13
Prof. Scott out of town; class led by URCS Prof. Jeffrey Bigham.  Dr. Bigham is an expert on computer accessibility for the blind. 
Reading: 
Value-Sensitive Design  (Batya Friedman, Interactions, Nov.–Dec. 1996)
The Disability Gulag  (Harriet McBryde Johnson, The New York Times, Nov. 23, 2003)
Insurers Fight Speech-Impairment Remedy  (Ashlee Vance, The New York Times, Sept. 14, 2009)
Wed. Sep. 15
Prof. Scott out of town; class led by Dr. Susan Gibbons, UR Vice Provost and Dean of Libraries.  Dr. Gibbons is an expert on the implications of copyright, the future of reading technology and the anthropology of library usage. 
Reading: 
A Risky Gamble With Google  (Siva Vaidhyanathan, Chronicle of Higher Education, Dec. 2005)
Should the Google book settlement be approved?  (Pamela Samuelson, Communications of the ACM, July 2010)
Mon. Sep. 20:  Privacy
Reading:  Textbook Sections 2.1–2.2
Wed. Sep. 22
Reading:  Textbook Section 2.3
Assignment Due Friday Sep. 24:  Pick one of the following topics and address it in an essay of at least four pages (1000 words).  Discuss arguments for both sides.  Identify the negative and positive rights involved.  Which side do you think is stronger?  Why?
(a) [exercise 1.18 in the book] Advocacy groups have sued certain companies because blind people cannot use their Web sites.  The suits argue that the Americans With Disabilities Act requires that the sites be accessible.  A judge dismissed a suit against Southwest Airlines because Web sites did not fit in any of the categories specified in the law.  Another judge allowed a similar suit, National Federation for the Blind v. Target Corporation to proceed.  Should all business and/or government Web sites be required by law to provide full access for disabled people, and in particular the blind? 
(b) The proposed Google book project has engendered significant controversy, and several lawsuits.  The recent proposed out-of-court settlement, likewise, is proving controversial.  Should the proposed settlement be approved?  In general, what principles should guide on-line access to copyrighted material, and in particular to so-called “orphan” texts? 
Mon. Sep. 27
Reading:  Textbook Sections 2.4–2.5
Assignment Due Friday Oct. 1:  Learn about privacy on Facebook.  Read the privacy policy in its entirety (http://www.facebook.com/policy.php).  If you are a member of Facebook, examine your privacy settings.  Update them if they seem inappropriate.  Explain the principles you have used to decide what should be public and private, and to whom.  If you are not a member of Facebook, and prefer not to join, describe the settings you would choose if you were a member, or would recommend to a friend.  (You may need to look over a friend's shoulder to see what the options are.)  Again, explain the principles behind your choice.  Finally, do an Internet search to find information on one or more of the public controversies regarding changes to Facebook's privacy policy in recent years.  Summarize the controversy, discuss your position on it, and explain how it was resolved. 
Wed. Sep. 29:  Anonymity
Reading:  Textbook Sections 3.5–3.6
Mon. Oct. 4:  The Open Source movement
Reading: 
The Open Source Definition
The Cathedral and the Bazaar, by Eric Steven Raymond.  Read the abstract and intro; skim the rest. 
An Open Letter to Hobbyists, by Bill Gates, written in 1976
Why Open Source Misses the Point of Free Software, by Richard Stallman, the founder of Gnu. 
Wed. Oct. 6
Special guest: Onno Kluyt, independent consultant and former director of the Java Community Process.
Abstract:  Why can't everybody just get along?  Software used to be a thing.  Now it is a platform, a soapbox, a service, a movement, an enabler, a mosaic, a battleground.  As software’s nature has changed so has the nature of defining and developing it.  This talk reviews practical experiences from leading a typical standards organization and making corporations play nice to fostering open source software projects and making persons play nice. 
Reading:
•   Textbook Section 4.6
•   Skim Onno’s blogs at onno-consulting.com/tag/community/ 
Assignment Due Friday Oct. 8:  Find a Wikipedia page that has seen some controversy (has a complicated revision history).  Post a 3-page (750-word) note to the discussion group on Blackboard that summarizes the history of changes and discusses the root of the controversy.  Would a closed-source encyclopedia, with an article written by a (named) expert be a more reliable source on this topic?  Explain.  Extra credit:  Find something wrong (matter of fact, not opinion) or missing on the page, and fix it. 
Mon. Oct. 11
Fall break; no class
Wed. Oct. 13:  Freedom of speech
Reading:  Textbook Sections 3.1–3.4
Assignment Due Wed. Oct. 20:  Choose a topic for your end-of-semester major project and post a one-to-two paragraph description of it to the discussion group on Blackboard.  A starter list of possible topics can be found HERE
Mon. Oct. 18
Special guest: Gary Pudup, Director, Genesee Valley Chapter, American Civil Liberties Union of New York State.
Reading: 
Law enforcement's limits in wiretapping the InternetWashington Post editorial
Congress must fight Internet wiretapping proposal— Response from Laura W. Murphy, Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union
Wed. Oct. 20:  Intellectual property
Reading:  Textbook Sections 4.1–4.3.2
Mon. Oct. 25
Presentation of project topics; feedback from the class.  Come prepared to present your topic (you will be graded on this.) 
Semester Project Due Sat. Dec. 18, 9am:  Discuss, in a paper of 10–15 pages, a topic of your choice related to class material.  Keep in mind that the focus should be on social implications of technology more than on the technology itself.  At the very least, your paper should be an insightful overview of the topic; ideally, it should state and defend a position or point of view.  Be sure to cite sources for nonobvious facts, expert opinions, or verbatim material.  (Your bibliographic entries should provide sufficient information, when printed on paper, for a library user to find the original source easily.  Note that Wikipedia and similar sites are not acceptable sources.) 
Wed. Oct. 27
Additional topic presentations. 
Reading:  Textbook Sections 4.3.3–4.5, 4.7
Mon. Nov. 1
Special event: 11am lecture in CSB 201 by Dr. Susan Horwitz, University of Wisconsin–Madison.  Dr. Horwitz is one of the original developers of peer-led team learning, the theory behind UR’s Workshop program. 
Reading:  Textbook Sections 5.1–5.2
Wed. Nov. 3
Special guests: Richard Crummins, UR Senior Counsel (legal office) and Julie Myers, Chief Information Security Officer, University IT. 
Reading:  UR IT page on file sharing and downloading
Mon. Nov. 8:  Computer Crime
Reading:  Textbook Sections 5.3–5.5
Assignment Due Mon. Nov. 15:  Find a computer crime (one in which computing or the Internet played a major role) that was committed and resolved within the past five years.  In a roughly 2-page (500-word) posting to the discussion group on Blackboard, summarize what happened, what law(s) were violated, and what penalty, if any, was imposed on the violator(s).  Does the penalty seem appropriate to you?  Explain. 
Wed. Nov. 10:  Risks
Reading:  Textbook Section 8.1
Mon. Nov. 15
Reading:  Textbook Sections 8.2–8.4
Assignment Due Wed. Nov. 24:  Post a roughly 3-page (750-word) note to the discussion group on Blackboard describing a failure of computerized technology, within the past 5 years, that had significant financial or social cost.  Does this failure appear, realistically, to have been preventable?  Are there obvious steps that should be taken to prevent or avoid similar failures in the future? 
Wed. Nov. 17:  Community Impacts
Reading:  Textbook Sections 7.1–7.2
Mon. Nov. 22
Reading:  Textbook Sections 7.3–7.5
Wed. Nov. 24
Thanksgiving break; no class
Mon. Nov. 29:  Ethics
Reading:  Textbook Sections 9.1–9.2; skim 9.3
Wed. Dec. 1
Project presentations (15 min. each):  Katherine, Abbi, Brandon, Brian.
Thur. Dec. 2,
Special event:  Prof. Scott will deliver a “last lecture” in the style of Randy Pausch, as part of a local series sponsored by Delta Upsilon.  7:30pm, Goergen 101 (Sloan Aud.) 
Mon. Dec. 6
Project presentations (15 min. each):  Jake, Ahmad, Jay, Blake.
Wed. Dec. 8
Project presentations (15 min. each):  Harry, Ben, Mark, Chelsea.
Bring laptop for course evaluations.
Mon. Dec. 13
Project presentations (15 min. each):  Garett, David, Mike, Yukiu.

Last Change:  12 January 2011 / Michael Scott's email address