CS 492/CS 692 W04 Course Timetable

Classes are held Monday, Wednesday and Friday 9:30-10:20, in MC4058. Readings are from the text (Computerization and Controversy, ed. Rob Kling, Academic Press, 1996), or the CS492/CS692 home page. Additional brief articles may at times be provided as handouts.

A copy of Ethics and Technology by Herman T. Tavani (2004) is on reserve in the library as an extra possible resource for those interested.

Timetable of topics and assignments

Week 1
- Jan 5: Overview of course (everyone)
- Readings:
  - Kling: I-C, I-G; I-D, I-E.
  - Paper on information overload: Informing Ourselves To Death.
- Jan 7: Introduction; models and approaches (everyone)
- Jan 9: More on introduction (everyone)
Week 2
- Readings:
  - Kling: II-D, II-E, V-K.
  - Paper on trust on the Internet: Trust, Authenticity, and Discursive Power In Cyberspace.
- Jan 12: The Internet (everyone)
- Jan 13: Assignment 1 due at 10am
- Jan 14: More on the Internet; RPE groupings decided (everyone)
- Jan 16: NOTE LOCATION/TIME: DC1302 8:30am, Privacy guest speaker followed by brief class (group1 and group2 decided) (everyone)
Week 3
- Readings:
  - Kling: VIII-G (skim), VI-D, VI-E.
  - Handout: Macleans Magazine 2001 on Being Watched.
  - Primer on the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
  - Paper on the Act: Guide for Businesses and Organizations to Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
  - Article on privacy: Cybercrime and Lawful Access.
- Jan 19: Privacy and social control (group 1)
- Jan 20: Assignment 2 due at 10am
- Jan 21: More on privacy and social control (group 2)
- Jan 23: RPE3 on universal IDs (everyone)
Week 4
- Readings:
  - Kling: IV-G, IV-A, IV-B.
  - Handout: Time Magazine 2001 on e-Health.
  - Article on RFID tags: RFID tags: Big Brother is small packages.
- Jan 26: Empowering workers in the introduction of technology; the changing nature of work (group 1)
- Jan 28: More on workers and the nature of work (group 2)
- Jan 30: RPE2 on displacing workers (everyone)
Week 5
- Readings:
  - Kling: III-J, III-K, III-L.
  - Handout: Industry Canada paper.
  - Article on taxing purchases online: Michael Geist: "It's time to tax purchases made online".
  - Paper on digital cash: Possible Economic Consequences of Digital Cash.
- Feb 2: Work: productivity and e-commerce (group 1)
- Feb 3: Assignment 3 due
- Feb 4: More on productivity and e-commerce (group 2)
- Feb 6: RPE4 on extracurricular activities at work (everyone)
Week 6
- Feb 9: field trip on computers and education (everyone)
- Readings:
  - Kling: VIII-A (skim), VIII-B.
  - Paper: ACM's Computing Professionals Face New Challenges.
  - Paper: Towards an Ethics of Persuasive Technology.
- Feb 11: Ethics and ethics workshop (group 1)
- Feb 13: Ethics and ethics workshop (group 2)
Week 7
- Feb 16: RPE10 on piracy (everyone)
- Feb 17: Assignment 4 due
- Feb 18: RPE5 on distance education (everyone)
Week 8
- Readings:
  - Kling: V-A, V-D.
  - Paper on electronic group decision making: Computer Based Delphi Processes.
  - Paper : Making Friends In Cyberspace.
- Feb 23: Computer mediated communication and social relations on the Internet (group 1)
- Feb 25: More on computer mediated communication (group 2)
- Feb 27: RPE11 on e-mail (everyone)
Week 9
- Readings:
  - Kling: VII-A (skim), VII-E, VII- C.
  - Handout: Using computers in elementary schools.
  - Paper on humanoid robotics: Humanoid Robots: A New Kind of Tool.
  - Paper on biological programming: Lex genetica: The law and ethics of programming biological code.
- Mar 1: Reliability and the limits of computerization (group 1)
- Mar 3: More on reliability and limits (group 2)
- Mar 5: RPE6 on liability (everyone)
Week 10
- Readings:
  - Article on identity theft: Identity Theft: The Crime of the New Millennium.
  - Article on electronic terrorism: An Electronic Pearl Harbor? Not Likely.
  - Article on security leaks: 'Error' sends bank files to eBay.
  - Article on electronic surveillance: The Carnivore FOIA Litigation.
- Mar 8: Concerns about security (group 1)
- Mar 9: Assignment 5 due
- Mar 10: Concerns about security (group 2)
- Mar 12: Guest speaker on recent spam/security at UW (***Note change)
Week 11
- Mar 15: RPE8 on selling names on the Internet (everyone)
- Mar 17: RPE9 on limits of artificial intelligence (everyone)
- Mar 19: RPE7 on professionalism (everyone)
Week 12
- Mar 22: RPE1 on censorship (everyone)
- Mar 24: RPE12 is cancelled. No class. Free time to complete assignment 6.
- Mar 26: Assignment 6 due; assignment 6B takes place (everyone)
Week 13
- Mar 29: Course wrap-up; Assignment 7 due (everyone)

Last updated Feb 1, 2004.