CS 105 Computer Ethics and Society
Spring 2017, 1 Credit - George Mason University
This is a 10-week course and the final exam will be in class on the 11th week.
(The 10 weeks of class do not count the week of spring break).
Section |
Day |
Time |
Location |
Class Dates |
Final Exam |
003 |
F |
10:30-11:45 am |
ENGR 1110 |
1/27 - 4/7 |
4/14 |
004 |
F |
12:00-1:15 pm |
ENGR 1110 |
1/27 - 4/7 |
4/14 |
Instructor: Prof. Tamara Maddox Email: tmaddox@gmu.edu Phone: (703) 993-1525
Office hours (ENGR 5347): Tues. 3-4 p.m., Thurs. 12-1 p.m., and immediately before or after class in our classroom.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant: Hamza Mughal Email: hmughal2@gmu.edu
Contact
We strongly encourage you to contact the instructor or UTA if you have questions or are experiencing difficulty with the
course. We are
here to help you learn.
For
all e-mail communications, include the course and section number in
your e-mail subject line to avoid being flagged as trash. For
example:
Subject: CS 105 Section 003 / Question about Kantianism
Materials
Course Description
Legal, social, and ethical issues surrounding
use of computers and the internet. The course will stress ethical
decision-making as well as legal and social responsibility in
connection with technology-related concerns. Issues such as security,
crime, privacy and intellectual property will be examined in the
context of computer use. Students may be requested to conduct research
on the internet in any of these areas and/or learn to use practical
technological tools related to privacy and security.
Learning Outcomes
Prerequisites: None
General Education: This course has been approved to satisfy the GMU General Education requirement for one credit of IT Ethics.
Special Accommodations: Students with disabilities who need academic accommodations must work through the Office of Disability Services at (703) 993-2474.
Course Work
This is a discussion-based course. You are
expected to attend all course meetings and participate in conversations
about course material as well as in-class activities relevant to the
course. To facilitate this, assigned readings are to be done before
class.
There are two major writing assignments to be
done outside of class, which comprise a substantial portion of the
overall grade. Additional work such as outside research, group
presentations, or contributing to discussion board topics may be
assigned.
This class relies strongly on class
participation. Therefore, it is important that you attend class
on a
regular basis. While you are welcome to attend an alternate
lecture session if you miss your own, please note that you may not
assume instructors in different sections will present the same
materials. Accordingly, unless you obtain advance approval from
your instructor, you may not receive credit for class participation or
other in-class activities when attending a section other than your own.
Grading and Evaluation:
Grading will be based on two major assignments, in-class quizzes, class participation (incl. Blackboard postings), and the final exam. These are weighted as follows:
2 Out-of-class assignments |
30% |
In-class quizzes (usually not announced) |
20% |
Final Exam |
30% |
Class Participation (including attendance, preparation, in-class activities, and weekly postings on Blackboard) |
20% |
Policies
Unless otherwise specified, all papers and other written assignments are to be individual
efforts. Individual assignments are to be submitted to Blackboard
through the Assignments tab. (Do NOT post assignments on the
Discussion boards!) Certain portions of group assignments may
require individual
efforts as well. Be careful to follow instructions regarding acceptable
group efforts. Plagiarism is governed by the GMU Honor Code and will
not be tolerated. Instances of cheating and/or plagiarism will be
referred to the Honor Committee.
Absences and Participation Credit – Absences
from class for health or emergency reasons are excusable as long as
some proof of the situation is provided. Participation and
quizzes missed due to excusable reasons may be made up on a
case-by-case basis according to criteria dictated by the professor.
Make-up work must be discussed with the professor within 10 days
of missing the class. After that period, participation and quiz
credit cannot be made up.
Late Work - It is the sole discretion of the instructor whether to accept late work. If accepted, late work typically will be penalized 5-10% per day. Pay attention to deadlines!
IMPORTANT NOTICE: None of the information presented in this course should be considered specific legal advice. Each situation is unique and requires individual attention. Students with individual legal concerns should not rely on information obtained in this course in making any legal decisions. Should you have a problem or concern requiring legal attention, you should seek specific advice from an attorney of your choosing.