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 Internet—Washington 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.