Course Topics, Textbook Readings

-- Subject to change without notice --

1. Introduction, Chapter 1. January 12-14.

2. Privacy: introduction, threats, issues, Chapter 2.1-2.4. January 21.

3. Privacy: technical methods of protection, philosophy, policies. First student presentations. Chapter 2.5-2.6. January 26-28.

4. Communications issues and cryptography. Chapter 3. February 2-4.

5. Computer errors and failures, accountability, liability. Chapter 4.1-4.3. February 9-11.

6. Risks, comparisons with other technologies, importance of professionalism. Therac-25 case. Chapter 4.4-4.5. February 16-18.

7. Freedom of speech: attempts to censor the Internet, library filters, international issues. Chapter 5.1-5.2. February 23-25.

   Book reports due Wed., Feb. 25.

8. Anonymity, spam. Chapter 5.3-5.5. March 1-3.

9. Intellectual property: copyright and fair use. Copyright versus patent versus trade secret. ``Piracy'' of software, music, movies, etc. Copy protection techniques and controversies. DMCA controversies.

   Free software, free-speech issues. (Chapter 6.)

   (Looking at the amount of material, this may easily spill into more than one week!) March 8-10.

   Boy was I right!

   (Spring break is March 22-26.)

10. Computer crime: hacking, online scams, fraud, civil liberties online, security, viruses. (Chapter 7.) March 29-31.

11. Computers in the workplace: effects on employment, telecommuting. Employee monitoring. Email privacy. (Chapter 8.) April 5-7.

    Term papers due Monday April 5; comments on another student's term paper due Wednesday April 7.

12. Societal issues: community, access to computing (have's vs. have-nots) , gender and race issues. Bad technologies. (Chapter 9.) April 12-14.

    Final copy of term papers due Mon., April 12.

13. Ethical issues for computer professionals; professional code of practice. Chapter 10.1-10.2, and Appendix A.1 or A.2. (I'll announce which code we'll examine closely when we get close.) April 19-21.

14. Ethical issues continued. Cases. Chapter 10.3. April 26-28.

Notes: there will also be additional reading assignments from outside the book. Two due for the first Wednesday of the course are listed in this document!

I plan at least two outside speakers (computer law/intellectual property lawyers), so the schedule will definitely be modified as we go to accommodate them.