The last two weeks or so of the term are devoted to individual student presentations of ethical issues related to computers. Each presentation will be approximately 25 minutes long, accompanied by a written report of at least 10 pages (typewritten, double spaced, 12 point Times Roman font). An objective of this assignment is that you gain experience researching an ethics topic by gathering multiple authoritative, external sources and integrating your findings into a well-structured report and presentation.
Due: Thursday, March 3.
Paper and presentation topics must be specific enough to adequately treat in the number of pages allowed for the paper and the time allotted for the presentation. For example, the topic of "spam" is too broad, but the topic of "email spoofing and mail authentication schemes to combat it" would be acceptable.
Topics that are directly covered in the course texts are acceptable, provided that your treatment (i.e., reading & writing) goes significantly deeper than that given in the readings. To give you an idea of topic categories, here is a partial list of topics addressed by our text and related readings. However, this list is not meant to be exhaustive. You can and should choose a topic that interests you. Perhaps there is a topic that directly affects you or someone you know. Or a topic that is currently in the news! I welcome topics that are not covered in our readings. The only requirements are that they are computer related and center on ethical issues. Remember, ethics is the study of morality, and morality is about rules of conduct (whether lawful or governed by societal norms) describing what ought or ought not to be done in various situations.
When you have settled on a topic, prepare a one (1) paragraph type-written description of the topic. Also provide a title. Think: Introductory paragraph to your final paper. This one paragraph description and title is to be turned in to the course instructor (paper-copy please) by the due date.
I will check your topic for content and scope. It is permissible that more than one student choose a particular topic (to a limit - we want a variety of presentation topics!). However, there will be no collaboration; these are individual, not team, presentations and papers. If more than one student chooses the same topic, their presentations will be scheduled on the same day to facilitate the comparing and contrasting of content and points of view.
Due: Tuesday, March 22
Often it is useful to prepare an outline of a paper before starting to write the paper. This should be a point form summary of the main points you want to make in your paper. For example, one point (a short sentence) might summarize one or a few paragraphs that will eventually appear in the paper. Microsoft Word has a option under the View menu that helps in preparing outlines (View -> Outline). Outlines should be 1-2 pages in length.
In addition, for this part of the project, you are to submit your intended bibliography of reference material. For example, you might have found several articles, books, and web pages relevant to your topic. List the complete citations for these materials in a bibliography you submit with your outline. The 1-2 pages for the outline does not include the bibliography. You should remember that I have been emphasizing depth in the class. Your goal in your paper is to get into considerable depth on your subject matter. Therefore, your reference material should go past news articles and into technical references on the subject. For example, if your project is concerned with certain computer technology related laws, then you will very likely need to read (and report on) the technical descriptions of the laws themselves.
Due: Thursday, April 7
Writing is a often a process of iterating through several drafts. In this project, you will submit two drafts of your paper. For full points on this part of the project, you should submit a complete "first" draft of your report. This should not be a rough initial draft. It should be a carefully written, proofread, complete version of your report. If you have done a good job on this, there shouldn't be much additional work for your final draft. So this "first" draft should be about the same length as the final paper, but possibly in need of revision. That is, 10 pages, typewritten, double spaced, 12 point Times Roman font.
Your first complete draft should include (past the 10 pages for the draft itself) a revised bibliography (revised from the bibliography that you turned in with your outline). This time, only include in the biblography reference materials that you cite in the text of your paper.
Presentations will be given using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress, or a web browser. You can plug in your own laptop or use the computer permanently in the room. If applicable, programs may be run and demonstrated on the classroom computer. Be sure that you check that your presentation loads and runs without glitches well in advance of your presentation time and date. You will make your presentation file (PDF format please) available to the class so that we all can download and review it. Please email your presentation file to the course instructor.
Of course, you cannot create a presentation until you have done your research and drawn your conclusions. In fact, it is easiest to create a presentation after you have completed the paper on which the presentation is based.
Plan for presentations of length 25 minutes, including 5 minutes for questions.
Here are some guidelines for structuring your paper:
- Describe the issue by fully stating the problem and/or conflict that is central to it.
- Describe all related concepts, and define any terms, especially technical terms, that are necessary to understand the problem.
- Provide any historical, socio-cultural, or legal background and context in which to understand the problem.
- Since your audience is, for the most part, a class of CS majors, do not shy away from providing needed technical background to understand the problem.
- Describe what makes the issue an ethical one, drawing from the ethical theories presented in Chapter 2 of the text by Quinn.
- Describe the role that computers or software play, as well as your take on whether computers make the problem unique or it is a traditional ethical problem with a new cyber-twist.
- Give examples of real-world events relating to the issue: court rulings, news coverage, anecdotal data.
- Where there are opposing sides to the issue, describe their constituents. Give both perspectives and complete arguments supporting their positions.
- Give your judgment on the issue: Is it appropriately resolved? If not, how do you think it should be resolved?
- What is the outlook for the future? Must anything change - underlying technology? Society itself?
- Conclusions.
Here are more general considerations:
- The more in-depth and specific the better.
- Avoid vague generalities.
- Avoid speculation where it is possible to obtain empirical facts.
- Referring to concepts or points made in our readings is a plus.
- Do not plagiarize. Quote and cite sources where necessary.
Produce your final paper as a MS Word, PostScript, or PDF document. Provide me with hard-copy (paper) within 24 hours of your presentation. As a backup, please also email it to me within 24 hours of your presentation.
Your final draft should include (past the 10 pages for the draft itself) a further revised bibliography. This time again, only include in your biblography reference materials that you cite in the text of your paper.
Append to your final draft an additional page giving three multiple-choice questions, that you make up, suitable for final exam questions on the topic of your paper. Include good answers, and a suggested grading scheme for each question. You will be graded in part on how suitable your questions are for inclusion on the final exam!