Resource 2: Sample Syllabi

Undergraduate Information / Computer Science Course

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Fifteen-week semester, with capstone design project. This schedule could be converted easily to fit within a 10-week quarter by eliminating the dedicated project time at the end, and cutting the week 8-9 unit on organizations and worklife to one week (eliminating readings III.A, C, E, and J and VII.G).

This syllabus is designed to compliment the strategies that we discussed in Challenge 3, "choosing topics and materials." We have focused here solely on selecting and sequencing the reading material, and have suggested readings solely from C&C2. In adapting these suggestions to your own course, you may wish to consider other articles from C&C2, as well as some of the other sources that we have recommended in Challenge 3. You may also need to adjust the amount of reading to provide, for example, for midterm exams, holidays, class administration, laboratory sessions, and so on.

The section number and sequence letter for each recommended article shows its location in C&C2.

Week 1: Introduction

Readings establish a frame of reference and the terminology (such as utopianism and anti-utopianism) that will be used throughout the course.

I. A. Heads Up versus Heads In Views of Computer Systems--Rob Kling
I. B. Reader's Guide to Computerization and Controversy--Rob Kling
I. C. Social Controversies About Computerization--Rob Kling
I. D. Computers as Tools and As Social Systems: The Car-Computer Analogy--Rob Kling
II. A. Hopes and Horrors: Technological Utopianism and Anti-Utopianism in Narratives of Computerization--Rob Kling

This topic is brought to the foreground primarily for "shock value". Computer science students have generally not been told, and have not thought about, the fact that computers--like cars--can actually kill people. The Jacky article can change their perspective quickly.

VII. A. Systems Safety, Normal Accidents, and Social Vulnerability--Rob Kling
VII. D. Jonathan Jacky, "Safety-Critical Computing: Hazards, Practices,Standards and Regulation".
VII. F. Brian Cantwell Smith, "The Limits of Correctness".
VII. J. Neumann, Peter G. "Risks of technology."
VII. E. Stix, Gary. "Aging Airways."
VII. B. "Risks of Voicemail Systems That Expect a Human at the Other End" Posting by R. Aminzade,
VII. C. "Ottawa Library fines people using unreliable automatic calling system" Posting by Michael Slavitch

Located early in the semester, this unit appeals to students who have already become familiar with electronic media such as email, newsgroups, the World Wide Web, "chat" forums, and so on. Students who have not yet learned about these tools should do so quickly, so that they can use them for course work during the semester.

V. A. Social Relations in Electronic Forums: Hangouts, Salons, Workplaces and Communities--Rob Kling
V. B. Sproull, Lee and Sara Kiesler. "Increasing Personal Connections."
V. C. Herring, Susan C. "Gender and Democracy In Computer-mediated Communication."
V. E. Kaufman, Margo. "They Call it Cyberlove"
V. F. Lindsy Van Gelder, "The Strange Case of the Electronic Lover: A Real-Life Story of Deception, Seduction, and Technology".
V. G. Van Tassel, Joan. "Yakety-Yak, Do Talk Back: PEN, the Nation's First Publicly Funded Electronic Network, Makes a Difference in Santa Monica."
V. K. Crawford, Walt. "I Heard It Through the Internet."
V. M. Richard Sclove and Jeffrey Scheuer. "On the Road Again: If Information Highways Are Anything Like Interstate Highways--Watch Out!"

If you can find a video-tape copy of the now-out-of-print NOVA production titled "We Know Where You Live", it can serve as an interesting supplement to these readings.

VI. A. Information Technologies and the Shifting Balance Between Privacy and Social Control--Rob Kling
VI. B. Linowes, David. "Your Personal Information Has Gone Public."
VI.. C. Bill of Rights (Amendments to the US Constitution)
VI. D. John Shattuck, "Computer Matching is a Serious Threat to Individual Rights"
VI. E. Richard P. Kusserow, "The Government Needs Computer Matching to Root Out Waste and Fraud"
VI. F. Dorothy Denning. "Clipper Chip will Reinforce Privacy."
VI. G. Rotenberg, Marc. Wiretapping Bill: Costly and Intrusive.
VI. H. Hatch, Denison. "How Much Data Do Direct Marketers Really Need?"
VI. I. Posch, Robert. "Direct Marketing is Not a Significant Privacy Threat"
VI. J. Hibbert, Chris. "What to do When they Ask for Your SSN."

This topic may be the furthest removed from CS students' current concerns. But many of them will have had experiences in summer or part-time jobs from which you can elicit relevant examples to support the readings.

III. A. The Centrality of Organizations in the Computerization of Society--Rob Kling
III. C. Feder, Barnaby J. "Getting the Electronics Just Right"
III. E. Frantz, Douglas. "B of A's Plans for Computer Don't Add Up."
III. J. Baily, Martin Neal. "Great Expectations: PCs and Productivity"
IV. A. Computerization at Work--Rob Kling
IV. C. Marx, Gary. The Case of the Omniscient Organization.
IV. G. Clement, Andrew. Computing at Work: Empowering Action by `Low-level Users'.
VII. G. Williamson, Evan. "Caught in the Grip of RSI: A First-hand Account".
VII. H. Khalil, Omar E M and Melcher, Jessie E. "Office Automation's Threat to Health and Productivity: a New Management Concern."

Located at the end to summarize the semester's work--and to point out that the entire course has dealt with professional and ethical issues from the first day of class.

I. G. Information and Computer Scientists as Moral Philosophers and Social Analysts--Rob Kling
VIII. A. Beyond Outlaws, Hackers, and Pirates: Ethical Issues in the Work of Information and Computer Science Professionals.--Rob Kling
VIII. B. Parker, Donn B.; Swope, Susan; Baker, Bruce N.; Weiss, Eric A. "All in a Day's Work: Nine Provocative Examples in the Practice of Computing Professionals"
VIII. C. Anderson, Ronald, Johnson, Deborah G.; Gotterbarn, Donald; Perolle,Judith. "Codes of Professional Ethics"
VIII. D. Association for Computing Machinery. "ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct."
VIII. E. Wagner, Ina. "Confronting Ethical Issues of Systems Design in a Web of Social Relationships"
VIII. H. Wenk Jr., Edward. "New Principles for Engineering Ethics"

See Resource 3 for details. The project is valued at 25 percent of the course grade, and is allocated 25 percent of the course schedule.