Ethics and Computer Science
CIS 3250
Syllabus — Fall 2018

Instructor: Randolph Langley

    Email: langley@cs.fsu.edu
    Telephone: 645-1225
    Office: 103 MCH Building (regular) / 703-D Keen (temporary)

Class time and place:

Lectures: 10:10-11:00 on Mondays / Wednesdays / Fridays in 201 MCH.


Holidays

Office hours:

If my office hours are not convenient, please speak with me to schedule an appointment at a mutually convenient time.

Class home page:
http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~langley/CIS3250/2018-Fall/index.html

Course Description:

"This course presents basic ethical theories and analysis methods as they apply to ethical, social, and legal issues in computing and information technology. Case studies and hypothetical scenarios are discussed for their social, ethical, and legal implications, as well as analyzed through various ethical-analysis methodologies. The course fosters the development of skills in logical and critical analysis of issues and viewpoints." (FSU 2018 Undergraduate Bulletin, page 239.)

Course Objectives

This course intends to introduce basic concepts in ethics and ethical issues in the field of Computer Science

The course will cover classic ethical theories and analysis frameworks.

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

Prerequisites

A basic knowledge of computer science and programming concepts, such as would be acquired through an introductory course in computer programming, will be assumed.

Text

Cyberethics: Morality and Law in Cyberspace sixth edition (2017) by Richard A. Spinello, ISBN 978-1-284-08139-8

Assessment

ITEM

POINTS

Midterm (Friday, October 26 November 2)

25

Final (finals week is December 10-14; our test will be on Wednesday, December 12, from 12:30 to 2:30)

25

Class participation

10

Written exercise 1 (due week of October 15-19 in your recitation section of that week, because of Hurricane Michael, this is now due the week of October 22-26 in your recitation section of that week.)

20

Written exercise 2 (due week of November 30 in your recitation section of that week, because of Hurricane Michael, this is now due the week of December 3-7 in your recitation section.)

20

Grades

A 90% - 100%
B+ 88% - 89%
B 80% - 87%
C+ 78% - 79%
C 70% - 77%
D 60% - 69%
F 0% - 59%

Class Policies

Written presentations

Please turn in your written presentations on time. No late submissions will be accepted.

Your written presentations must be submitted in the manner indicated in the assignment on the appropriate day. If the submission is via Canvas, the link will disappear immediately after the due time. (Update: all presentations are to be turned in as physical copies to your TA during recitation.)

Academic Dishonesty

Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Do not turn in other people's work as your own; this includes, but is not limited to, unattributed copying from web pages, other students' work, books, journals, or broadcast media. Do not post on Internet websites soliciting help on your assignments or projects; if such solicitations are found, these will be be regarded as attempts at academic dishonesty. In all of your work, citations and clear delineation of cited material from your own original work are mandatory. Student work will be checked for originality using various programs and databases.

Collaboration

This class does not have any joint assignments. You are expected to do all assigned coursework on your own.

The Florida State University academic honor policy is at http://fda.fsu.edu/Academic-Resources/Academic-Honor-Policy

From the above academic honor policy: 

ACADEMIC HONOR POLICY:
		  
The Florida State University Academic Honor Policy outlines the
University's expectations for the integrity of students'
academic work, the procedures for resolving alleged violations of
those expectations, and the rights and responsibilities of
students and faculty members throughout the process.  Students are
responsible for reading the Academic Honor Policy and for living
up to their pledge to "... be honest and truthful and
... [to] strive for personal and institutional integrity at
Florida State University."

Attendance

Attendance at all class meetings is expected, and attendance may be taken each class session. Please extend courtesy in class by arriving on time and staying until dismissed. You are responsible for all information explained in class, some of which will not be available in written or electronic form.

Absence

Excused absences include documented illness, deaths in the immediate family and other documented crises, call to active military duty or jury duty, religious holy days, and official University activities. Accommodations for these excused absences will be made and will do so in a way that does not penalize students who have a valid excuse. Consideration will also be given to students whose dependent children experience serious illness.

Communication

You should check your email frequently for information about this course, as well as the class home page. You are also encouraged to use email to ask questions and report problems.

ADA compliance

ADA

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:
Students with disabilities needing academic accommodation should:

(1) register with and provide documentation to the Student
Disability Resource Center; and

(2) bring a letter to the instructor indicating the need for
accommodation and what type.  This should be done during the first
week of class.

This syllabus and other class materials are available in
alternative format upon request.

For more information about services available to FSU students with
disabilities, contact the:

Student Disability Resource Center
874 Traditions Way
108 Student Services Building
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL 32306-4167
(850) 644-9566 (voice)
(850) 644-8504 (TDD)
sdrc@admin.fsu.edu
http://www.disabilitycenter.fsu.edu/

Please advise me at your earliest convenience (within one week) if you have a disability that will require a reasonable accommodation for the successful completion of this course. Also, as indicated above, you should register with the Student Disability Resource Center, and provide me a letter indicating your need for accommodation.

If you are experiencing difficulties

If you are experiencing difficulty, either with the class or for reasons outside of the class, or are concerned about your progress, please speak with me immediately.

Except for changes that substantially affect implementation of the evaluation (grading) statement, this syllabus is a guide for the course and is subject to change with advance notice. In particular, the above schedule and procedures in this class are subject to change in the event of university schedule changes, calendar errors on my part, exigent circumstances, or if other reasons develop during the semester.

Updates

2018-10-01 : Clarified the submission dates for written presentation.

2018-10-08 : Added an additional week for written presentation 1 due to Hurricane Michael.

2018-10-15 : Added an additional week for midterm due to Hurricane Michael; clarified that written presentations this semester are all to be turned in physically.