Topics for CS 105 Short Papers or Class Presentations

Note: You may NOT submit a paper not on this list unless it has been approved by your instructor in ADVANCE.

Short Paper Topics (3-5 pages)

*Read and compare computer crime laws from at least 2 states.

*Read and discuss SEI's CMM (see www.sei.cmu.edu). Find out CMM levels for at least 2 major companies.

*Digital watermarks are hidden codes that can provide proof of ownership (see CACM, 41.7, 1998, 31ff). Describe different strategies for inserting and extracting digital watermarks. What are the practical applications of this new technology?

*Imagine that you are in charge of security for a company that maintains Internet access from its systems. What policies, procedures, and user training would you implement to keep your system secure? What sort of firewall would you put in place?

*Compare some government and business ethics policies. Some examples are below:

Which policies seem especially valuable in the workplace?

*Explore health concerns related to computer use. What is carpal tunnel syndrome? What is correct workstation design? Does computer usage in the workplace contribute to lack of fitness? What can be done? Do we need to be concerned about the design of workstations for children in schools? Does the computer industry harm the environment or is it a "clean" industry?

*Imagine that you are the parent of a very talented child. Your child has a strong aptitude for computer science and spends many hours a day pounding the keyboard. You are concerned that your child's curiousity might lead him or her into hacking. Explore some on line resources where your child can learn about computer networks and security, but in a constructive way. Make a web page that includes 1) links to the sources of information you found and 2) a description of these sources and why you think that they are appropriate and 3) an essay on how best to teach children to use computers responsibly-whose responsibility is it?

Class Presentation Topics (10-15 minutes. Get approval and schedule a date for the presentation before beginning research.)

*Read and report to the class on Mike Godwin's Cyber rights. Random House, 1998. Discuss the chapter, "When Words Hurt," in detail. What are Godwin's conclusions? Do you agree?

*Read and report to the class on Cliff Stoll's Silicon Snakeoil.

*Read and report to the class on Laszlo Mero's Moral Calculations. (You might try his dollar gambling experiment in class!)

*What agencies investigate computer related crime? Take a look at J. Littman's book: The Fugitive Game and report on some of the problems involved in tracking and prosecuting hackers.

*Read and report to the class on a current event, new legislation, or technology that has ethical implications. You might start with ABC News or CNN. Ideas: Melissa and Chernobyl viruses, the Y2K problem , Anti-trust lawsuit against Microsoft, etc.

References and direct quotes should be properly footnoted.
Show that you have done some research for full credit.
Avoid paraphrasing so that you don't inadvertently plagiarize. It should be clear which are your words and which are someone else's! Papers that do not cite references will not be accepted. When citing web pages, include a sentence or two that indicates why you thought this web page was a valid source of information.

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