- Office:
- none
- Email:
- clamen@rowan.edu
- Phone:
- tba
- Office Hours:
- (Tentatively) W 6:00-6:30 in the CS Dept conference room (if available). Other times by appointment
- URLs:
- http://elvis.rowan.edu/~clamen/classes/C+S/
Section 1: MW 4:45-6:00 Rob 101a
- Wednesday, September 1
- First day of classes
- Monday, September 6
- Labor Day: no class
- Wednesday, September 8
- Last day to add/drop
- Wednesday, September 15
- no class
- Thursday, October 21
- Last day to withdraw from class with signature of instructor
- Wednesday, November 24
- Thanksgiving eve
- Tuesday, December 14 - Monday, December 20
- Finals Week
4901.265.01 3 s.h.
Computers and Society
This interdisciplinary course focuses upon the effects of computer systems on individuals and institutions. How computer systems are developed and operated will be related to an analysis of current trends in American society. A study of present and probably future applications of computers in such areas as management, economic planning, data collection, social engineering, education and the military will be followed by an exploration of the relationship of computer systems to problem solving orientations, bureaucratization, centralization of power, alienation, privacy, autonomy and peoples' self-concept. This course is open to students at any level who satisfy the prerequisite and have course work in computer science or sociology or permission of instructor.
Prerequisites
- 1501.112 College Composition II
A course studying how computers (more precisely, emerging computerized technologies) affect society and how society affects computers. Class work will consistent of reading (both scholarly and non-scholarly works), group discussion (both in class and online), labs, and writing. A certain amount of computer literacy is assumed.Topics include (but may not be limited to):
With the following ongoing themes (among many):
- Reliability, Safety, and Security
- Privacy and Social Control
- Electronic Communities
- Information Technology for the Masses
- Organizations and Worklife
- Ethics and Professional Responsibilities
- Blaiming the messenger
- Faulting computer technologies for a particular problem without providing a substantive argument
- Computer Illiteracy
- Policies/decisions made out of ignorance
- Tensions among competing interests and visions
- Validity shared among stakeholders
- The "Information Revolution"
- What is revolutionary about our times? Are new technologies just being treated as new variations of old things?
Homework, quizzes, and midterm exam 35% Cyberspace Laboratory 20% Participation and Discussion 25% Final Exam 20%
- Class participation is a major part of the work in this course and consequently, a major component in the calculation of your grade. As you cannot participate in classroom discussions without being present, attendance is mandatory.
- As a complement to class discussions, the discussion groups on WebCT will be employed. Regular participation on these forums is expected. You can post as many messages as you like, and I expect to read a post from you at least once per week. Posting can consist of starting a thread, commenting on another's post, or commenting on a class. All classroom rules are in affect, and all posts are expected to be professional. Use of excessive profanity will result in failing this segment of the class. (NOTE: online discussions will not begin until the second or third week of the semester.)
- At least twice during the semester (and with at least one week warning), students will be designated as "discussion leaders" for a particular reading (or part of a reading). This assignment will require studying the reading and preparing discussion points. Discussions from class that merit them will be continued online. When appropriate, discussions may be styled as a free-form debate.
- Readings and lecture schedule (see attached) are subject to change with notice. Changes will be mentioned in class, posted to the WebCT area, and announced via email (if schedule requires).
- Students will be assumed to be checking the class's WebCT space regularly for new discussion topics and threads and class announcements.
- Students will be assumed to be checking their Rowan email every day school is in session. Reading (particularly web readings) and some homework assignments are likely to be announced — and emergency announcements made — via email. (If you are not on campus every day and are unable to read your email from home, please let me know immediately so we can make special arrangements.) To read your Rowan email, go to http://cp.rowan.edu and you can log in to web mail using your Rowan userid and password. After you log in you can also forward your email to your home account if you prefer. (To learn more about forwarding your Rowan email to another address, go to http://www.rowan.edu/ir_info/iplanet_help/forward.html For other help with web mail and other campus computing, go to http://www.rowan.edu/ir/supportdesk/students/
- Homeworks will include both exercises and short writing assignments.
- Completed assignments may be submitted to me at the beginning of class, deposited in my mailbox in the Computer Science Office (3rd floor, Robinson) before class, emailed (to the above address), or submitted via WebCT (if appropriate and possible). Owing to my limited on-campus schedule, the electronic deadline may be later than the physical deadline. Assignments submitted late will be assessed a penalty, or not accepted at all, depending on the class schedule. It is unlikely that an assignment submitted more than a week late will be accepted without a valid excuse (see below). Assignments submitted late and in-person will be viewed as late with respect to the physical deadline, not the electronic deadline.
- A number of short, in-class quizzes (announced in advance) may be assigned. There will be no make-up quizzes. There will be midterm quiz (possibly take-home). There will be a final exam.
- Independently or in small groups (with permission of instructor), students will conduct a "Cyberspace laboratory experiment", actively engaging in one of a variety of online activities (from a list to be published) continually over a period of 4-6 weeks, and reporting back to the class about their experiences (and conclusions) in the form of a mid-length written report and short in-class presentation. During the study period, periodic meetings and/or progress reports will be scheduled to monitor progress and resolve difficulties.
- If a student cannot make a scheduled exam or discussion assignment, they must notify me beforehand.
- If you miss an important class (or cannot make an assignment deadline) due to illness or other emergency, proper documentation will be required before I would consider letting you make up the work. If you have to miss an exam (and I hope you will not) re-tests will be given only in cases of extreme hardship as defined by the rules of Rowan University, and I always require documentation of your reason for your absence.
- Students who have been attending class regularly and have been making a serious effort are welcome to arrange an appointment to see me outside of class.
- While it is alright to seek help on assignments from others, copying or plagiarizing assignments (or being an accomplice to it) will not tolerated. If you do not understand the difference between plagiarism and permissable help, please ask me for elaboration.
- Baase, S. A Gift of Fire. 2nd edition
- Spinello, R.A. Case Studies in Information Technology Ethics. 2nd edition
- Numerous supplemental readings, to be determined (both printed and online)