Ethics and Computer Science
CIS 3250
Syllabus — Summer 2022

Instructor: Randolph Langley

    Email: langley@cs.fsu.edu
    Office: 410C Love Building
    Telephone: 645-1225 (unfortunately, my voicemail is not working)

Class time and place:

CIS3250 is face-to-face this semester. We will meet 1:20 until 2:35 on Tuesday and Thursday in MCH201.

All assignments and weekly quizzes will be available via Canvas. The midterm and final are both in person in MCH201.

Office hours:

My in-person office hours on Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30am to 11:30am.

If these are not convenient, or if you would like to meet using alternative means, then please contact me at langley@cs.fsu.edu so that we can schedule a meeting in a different venue or format.

Class home page:
http://www.cs.fsu.edu/~langley/CIS3250/2022-Summer/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.)

Class structure

Canvas: The Canvas class modules are organized by week; new modules are published at the beginning of the week, and most activities for most modules occur in that week.

In person: During our assigned meeting time, I will lecture and we will discuss the lecture materials.

Course Objectives

This course introduces 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

A Gift of Fire fifth edition by Baase and Henry. It is best to use the 5th edition since it has a new coauthor (Timothy Henry) and considerably more material than earlier editions.

Assessment

ITEM

POINTS

Midterm, 75 minutes to complete. The test will be given in MCH201 on Thursday, June 16 at our usual class time.

25

Final exam, 75 minutes to complete. This test will be given in MCH201 on Tuesday, July 26 at our usual class time.

25

Class participation (weekly discussions and weekly quizzes)

20

Essay 1, assigned on June 2 June 3, due by June 23 June 24.

15

Essay 2, assigned on June 28, due by July 12.

15

Grades

A 90% - 100%
B+ 87% - 89.999999%
B 80% - 86.999999%
C+ 77% - 79.999999%
C 70% - 76.999999%
D 60% - 69.999999%
F 0% - 59.999999%

Class Policies

Assignments

Please turn in your work on time. No late submissions for any assignments, discussions, essays, or quizzes will be accepted. Extensions will be given on the basis outlined in the section on excused absences.

Your written presentations must be submitted in the manner indicated in the assignment on the appropriate day.

If a submission is via Canvas, the link will disappear immediately after the due time.

Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism has become widespread problem, one so endemic that the most recent "MLA Handbook" now devotes a whole chapter (Chapter 2, "Plagiarism and Academic Integrity") to the subject. I strongly recommend that you read this.

There is no group work in this class. All assignments must be done solely by you. Do not solicit help from your fellow students or from any other source.

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

There is no group work in this class. All assignments must be done solely by you. Do not solicit help from your fellow students or from any other source. Unauthorized group work is a violation of the FSU Academic Honor Policy, which specifically forbids it. This, along with plagiarism, is the among the most commonly reported violations of FSU's Academic Honor Policy.

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

We are meeting face-to-face this semester.

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. Please use email (not Canvas 'communications') to contact me.

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.