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PHL 117: Computer Ethics

Course Description

In PHL 117: Computer Ethics, we will examine how computers have affected society and how they could further affect it in the future. We will examine various ethical issues surrounding computers. These will include piracy, hacking, viruses, responsibility and liability for the use of software, cyberporn, computerized invasion of privacy, computers in the workplace, and the use of artificial intelligence and expert systems. We will also consider many of the moral and professional issues that those who work with computers might expect to face.

Texts

Grading

Your final grade will be based on three papers. There will be no exams. The first paper will count for 20% of your grade, and the subsequent two papers will each count for 40%. You will receive a grade between 0 and 100 for each paper. Your final grade will be calculated according to the following formula:

Grade = (P1 + (P2 * 2) + (P3 * 2)) / 5

This will give you a score between 0 and 100 that will be converted into a letter grade according to the following scheme:

A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 63-66
D- 60-62
E 0-59

Papers

Papers should be typewritten and double-spaced on white letter sized paper with a pica sized or 12 point font. You should avoid fat fonts, such as Chicago. I will not accept hand written papers. You may also hand in papers by email. If you do, send it either as a Postscript file or as plain text. As plain text, I will count each 26 lines of text as a single page. Do not email me word processor files.

Late papers will get five points knocked off the final score for each day they are late. This is not just for each day of class a paper is late; it is for every single day that a paper is late, including weekends and holidays.

If you haven't finished a paper by class time, come to class anyway. You can hand your papers in any time before midnight without penalty. If you don't hand a paper in during class on the day it is due, I recommend that you send it to me through email. That way, it is datestamped, and that lets me know precisely when you handed it in. Otherwise, I will assume you handed it in on the day I got it, and that might be later than you actually handed it in.

Each paper will be graded on a scale from 0 to 100. The grade will be based on the following factors:

Grammar and Syntax

It is important to use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. These all aid in making your paper clear and understandable. To check your spelling, I recommend the use of a spelling checker. I will be harder on errors that could have clearly been avoided by using one. To avoid any errors in grammar or syntax, I recommend asking someone else to proofread your paper. I especially recommend this if English is not your native language.

Unity

The unity of a paper is how well everything holds together. It is how well sentences hold together in paragraphs, and it is how well paragraphs hold together in the paper as a whole. In a unified paper, each paragraph should be coherent, and the paragraphs themselves should be well-organized. A unified paper is also a focused paper. It focuses on a common thesis, it focuses separate parts on different aspects of the same theme, and it doesn't stray into unrelated issues. To sum up, a unified paper is coherent, focused, and well-organized.

Comprehensiveness

Comprehensiveness is how fully your paper covers the issue it is focused on. A comprehensive paper will cover an issue in depth, consider opposing positions, and treat them fairly. A paper that leaves out essential information, that skirts by important issues, or that neglects to fairly consider objections is not comprehensive enough. To make a paper comprehensive within the length constraints, it will be important to state things briefly and clearly without too much repetition. It will also help to narrow the focus of your paper. If your thesis is too general, it may be impossible to write a comprehensive paper.

Cogency

Cogency is how convincing an argument is to a discerning audience. This involves two things: how good an argument is and how well the argument is presented. The most cogent sort of argument will be one that its audience readily recognizes to be sound. Due to the controversial nature of the issues we'll be discussing, however, I can't expect all of you to reach this ideal goal. But I would like you to strive for it as much as you can. Begin by presenting your argument as clearly as you can. Clearly state your premises, your conclusion, and the logical connections between them. Next, make sure that your premises are well-founded or well-defended. Finally, make your argument valid or at least inductively strong. Be sure to avoid fallacies, rhetoric, and bad logic. Please refer to A Rulebook for Arguments for more information on writing good arguments.

Schedule

  1. Tuesday, May 28: Introduction to course, computer ethics, reasoning skills.
  2. Wednesday, May 29: FM1 "Introduction: Social, Ethical, and Professional Issues in Computing"
  3. Thursday, May 30: DJ1 "Introduction: What is Computer Ethics?"
  4. Monday, June 3: DJ2 "Philosophical Ethics"
  5. Tuesday, June 4:
  6. Wednesday, June 5: DJ3 "Professional Ethics"
  7. Thursday, June 6:
  8. Monday, June 10: FM3 "Software Theft"
  9. Tuesday, June 11:
  10. Wednesday, June 12: DJ4 "Property Rights in Computer Software"
  11. Thursday, June 13: Topic due for Paper #1
  12. Monday, June 17: DJ5 "Computers and Privacy"
  13. Tuesday, June 18:
  14. Wednesday, June 19: FM6 "The Invasion of Privacy"
  15. Thursday, June 20: Paper #1 Due (3-4 pages)
  16. Monday, June 24: DJ6 "Crime, Abuse, and Hacker Ethics"
  17. Tuesday, June 25:
  18. Wednesday, June 26: FM2 "Computer Crime"
  19. Thursday, June 27:
  20. Monday, July 1: FM4 "Hacking and Viruses"
  21. Tuesday, July 2:
  22. Wednesday, July 3:
  23. Monday, July 8: DJ7 "Responsibility and Liability"
  24. Tuesday, July 9:
  25. Wednesday, July 10: FM5 "Unreliable Computers"
  26. Thursday, July 11: Topic due for Paper #2
  27. Monday, July 15: FM7 "Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems"
  28. Tuesday, July 16:
  29. Wednesday, July 17:
  30. Thursday, July 18: Paper #2 Due (4-5 pages)
  31. Monday, July 22: DJ8: "The Social Implications of Computers: Autonomy and Access"
  32. Tuesday, July 23:
  33. Wednesday, July 24:
  34. Thursday, July 25:
  35. Monday, July 29: FM8 "Computerizing the Workplace"
  36. Tuesday, July 30:
  37. Wednesday, July 31:
  38. Thursday, August 1:
  39. Monday, August 5: DJ "ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (1992)"
  40. Tuesday, August 6: Topic due for Paper #3
  41. Wednesday, August 7: DJ "IEEE Code of Ethics (1990)"
  42. Thursday, August 8:
  43. Monday, August 12:
  44. Tuesday, August 13: Paper #3 Due (5-6 pages)
A hypertext version of this syllabus is available as http://www.ling.rochester.edu/~duniho/phl117/syllabus.html