• The last several weeks of the term are devoted to individual student presentations of ethical issues related to computers.
• Each presentation will be 15–20 minutes long, accompanied by a written report of 7–10 pages, single-spaced or space-and-a-half.
• Objective: Gain experience researching your topic by gathering multiple authoritative, external sources and integrating your findings and analysis in a well-structured presentation and report.

• Topic categories are shown in this section. They roughly mirror the topics in our textbook.
• This list is not intended to be exhaustive. If you would like to pursue a topic not mentioned, you may propose it to the course instructor. The topic simply needs to be computer related and center on ethical issues.
• Your presentation topic must be specific enough to treat in the time allotted.
• Two students cannot choose the same specific topic.
• When you've chosen a topic, choose an available presentation time from the Schedule on the left and email your choice of topic and time to the course instructor.

• Email (spam/phishing)
• Internet censorship and freedom of expression
• Identity theft
• Cyberbullying
• Internet addiction
• Social media immersion
• Ad Blocking on Websites
• Net neutrality
• Children, predators, and inappropriate content
• Human trafficking and the internet
• Misogyny and the gaming community
• Gaming and violence
• Massively multiplayer online role-playing games
• Internet of things
• Digital advertising
• Crowdfunding
• Filter/Content Bubbles in Networks
• Fake News
• Online Education

• Restrictions on fair use (DMCA, DRM)
• Digital media distribution
• Peer-to-peer networks
• Pirate Bay
• Piracy and video games
• Piracy and music
• Hardware modding and jailbreaking
• Software copyright and patents
• Software licensing
• Open-source software (OSS)
• The FSF and software freedom
• Creative Commons
• Intellectual Property on the Cloud

• "Big Data" and data mining
• Medical data and patient privacy
• Covert surveillance and wiretapping
• NSA
• Encryption
• Edward Snowden
• The Patriot Act
• Drones
• The Tor Browser
• Cyberstalking
• Nanny Surveillance
• Doxxing

• Massive data breaches
• Ethical hacking
• Social engineering
• Hacktivism
• DDoS Attacks
• Malware (spam, viruses, worms, rootkits)
• Online voting
• Cyber crime
• Cyber warfare
• OSS and security
• Wikileaks
• Medical Devices

• Software issues (errors, failures, warranties)
• Software verification and validation
• Computer simulations
• Volkswagen software scandal

• Automation and unemployment
• Effects of globalization
• Digital divide
• Cryptocurrency
• Blockchain and its Impact
• Gender diversity in CS/STEM
• Virtual reality
• Whistleblowing

• Autonomous vehicles
• Turing test
• Electronic singularity
• Intelligence amplification and cyborgs
• Transhumanism
• Nanotechnology
• Creating moral robots
• Rights of robots
• Robotic surgery
• Automating Finance

• The presentation schedule is shown in this section.
• Presentation topics and time slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Send an email message to the course instructor indicating your topic and preferred time, and you will be added to the schedule.

• This section provides guidelines for writing the report, including general considerations, the report's content and structure, and writing style.
• The report should be 7-10 pages single-spaced or space-and-a-half, and must be submitted electronically in PDF format.

• The more in-depth and specific your treatment is the better. Avoid vague generalities.
• Referring to concepts or points made in our readings is a plus.
• Do not plagiarize. Quote and cite sources where necessary.
• Do not rely only on Wikipedia. Consult and use a variety of sources.

The considerations below are intended to guide you in deciding on your report's content. They are not intended to convey the actual structure, from top to bottom, of your report. You can decide on a structure that fits your topic; just be sure to consider these points, as their inclusion strengthens your report.

• 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.
• Provide any technical background needed to understand the problem.
• Describe what makes the issue an ethical one, drawing from the ethical theory presented in chapter 2 of the text by Quinn.
• Describe the role that computers or software play, as well as your view 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?
• State your conclusions.

• Pay attention to grammar and sentence structure. Spelling errors and awkward or garbled construction will be penalized.
• Make sure the paper is organized with section headings for major sections and a preliminary overview of the paper's content in terms of those sections.
• Provide good transition or flow from section to section.
• Figures, tables, or screenshots can help break the textual monotony.
• Bibliographic citations need not use a specific style (e.g. MLA) but should include title, author, date, publisher, and URL (if applicable).
• Include pagination (page numbers) in the final copy.

• Your presentation should be prepared after you have written a first draft of the report.
• Presentations will be given over Zoom using presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint (PPT), OpenOffice/LibreOffice Impress (ODP), or a web browser (HTML).
• You will turn in your presentation file as PDF at the conclusion of your presentation.

• Slides should be uncluttered and easy to read.
• Practice in advance and make sure the presentation length is in the 15–20 minute range with 5 minutes allowed for questions.
• Speak clearly and engage with the audience.
• Do not rush.
• Do not include long chunks of text in slides except when quoting an important source.
• Know your content well enough that you do not rely on reading verbatim from your slides or notes.
• The inclusion of relevant graphics or multimedia (sound or video—2-3 minutes max) is encouraged.
• See the Presentation Pointers from menu at the left.