Phil 327 – Ethics in the Information Age -- Spring, 2017 

Metropolitan Sate University

 

 

Syllabus (Note: this is the syllabus as handed out in class the first night. Check the schedule below for changes and additions.)

 

Paper Assignments  (Note:  These are carried over from last semester.  Check back for updated versions before you write your papers)

 

 First Paper Assignment (Updated for Spring 2017)

 

Second Paper Assignment (Updated for Spring 2017)

 

Third Paper Assignment (Updated for Spring 2017)

Paper writing guides: 

    from Williams College

    from Jim Pryor of NYU

 


Schedule of assignments
Date Topic Reading Writing Due Handouts - in class stuff
Jan. 9 Introduction none   Cases for Discussion;
Discussion Project: Identifying Ethical Issues
Jan. 16 MLK Birthday Holiday No class    
Jan. 23 Overview: Personal, Professional, and Social Issues in Information Technology

1. Quinn, Chapter 1;  
2. Benkler, Wealth of Networks, Introduction (online here - HTML formatted for easy reading - or here - PDF formated for saving paper when printing) -- you may safely skip the section called "Four Methodological Comments" but do read the section that comes after it.
3. The Case of the Killer Robot (online here)

Response to Readings Discussion Project: Killer Robot
Jan. 30 Ethical Theories 1: Relativism, Religion, Kant

1. Quinn, Chapter 2, the first six sections, through p. 72; 
2. Excerpts from Kant (with notes);
3. "The Truth in Ethical Relativism" by Hugh LaFollette

Response to Readings Discussion Project: Applying Kant
Feb. 6 Ethical Theories 2: Utilitarianism, Social Contract theory 1. Quinn, Chapter 2, the rest (but skip section 10 on virtue ethics for now);
2. "The Singer Solution to World Poverty" by Peter Singer;
3. Prisoners' Dilemma: Game and Explanation: "We are all Prisoners" and "An Ethic Based on Prisoners' Dilemma" by Jonathan Blumen; (another version of the game) 		Response to Readings Discussion Project: Applying Utilitarianism;
First Paper Assignment handed out
Feb. 13 Professional/Business ethics 1: responsibilities, standards, codes 1. Quinn, Chapter 2, section 10, pp. 88-94;
2. Quinn, Chapter 9, the first five sections, through p. 436 		Response to Readings Discussion Project:Applying the Software Engineering Code of Ethics
Feb. 20 Professional/Business ethics 2: whistleblowing, loyalty 1. Quinn, Chapter 9, the rest;
2. "Illusions of whistleblower protection" by Brian Martin,
3.   Brian Martin's summary of Robert Jackall's discussion of whistleblowing;
4. Summary of Jackall's book "Moral Mazes" (pdf) by Damian Grace, University of New South Wales 		Response to Readings;
First Paper Due		 Discussion Project: Whistleblowing
Feb. 27 Computer Security and Reliability

1. Quinn, Chapter 7: the whole thing  (this is a change from what was listed on the syllabus I handed out the first day)  If you are pressed for time, skip section 7.3 on malware.
2. Chapter 8: the first four sections and the last two (pp. 365-381 and 392-404);
3. Principles for Fair Commerce in Digital Products
4. Who should be liable for data breaches?
5. Hacking law can't hack it?

Response to Readings Discussion project on software warranties
March 6 Spring Break No class    
March 13 Spam, Pornography, Free Speech, Censorship

1. Quinn, Chapter 3;

2. Brian Leiter on Cyber-Cesspools, cleaner version, explicit version

3. Andrew Sullivan on Internet addiction: I Used To Be a Human Being

 Response to Readings Second Paper Assignment handed out
March 20 Privacy 1 - What is privacy and why is it important? -- private sector policies and practices 1. Quinn, Chapter 5;
2. MSNBC article on privacy law 		Response to Readings Discussion project on privacy;
March 27 Privacy 2 - Privacy and the Government 1. Quinn, Chapter 6;
2. plus whatever you have time for from the articles listed on this page 		Response to Readings Discussion project on Surveillance
April 3 Intellectual Property 1 1.Richard Stallman, Misinterpreting Copyright—A Series of Errors 
2. Quinn, Chapter 4
3. links to further (optional) materials on copyright		 Response to Readings; Second paper due Larry Lessig's TED talk
Discussion project on Copyright
April 10 Intellectual Property 2

1. Benkler, Wealth of Networks, Introduction to Chapter 2 (pp. 35-41);
2. Chapter 3 (pp. 59-90);
3. last section of Chapter 5 (pp. 161-175) (Here's a page with more detailed information on this reading assignment.)

 Response to Readings Film: Revolution OS
April 17 The Internet and Democracy

Read in this order:

1. Benkler, Wealth of Networks, Chapter 7, section 2: "Networked Infromation Economy Meets the Public Sphere" (Two stories that illustrate the democratic potential of the Internet)

2. "The Daily Me" by Cass Sunstein (You can skip the last five pages, i.e., the section called "What isn't the Issue".);

3. Sunstein on Group Polarization and Cybercascades

4. Benkler, Wealth of Networks, Chapter 7, section 5 (in part) on Network Topology and it's (hopeful) implications for Democracy (allegedly an answer to Sunstein and othercritics)

5. Benkler, et al. on the Right Wing Media Ecosystem and the 2016 election (Does this analysis undermine Benkler's Internet optimism?)

 Response to Readings Discussion Project on the Internet and Democracy Benkler Notes
April 24 Access, Equity, and Work Quinn, Chapter 10 Response to Readings Story of Stuff videos: Stuff in general Electronic stuff
May 1 Wrap Up; Course evaluations
  1.  Nicholas Carr (author of The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing To Our Brains) responding to the news that Facebook ran experiments on the emotional psychology of its users (and explaining why Benkler was wrong):   "The Platform Is the Conversation"

  2.  W. David Ball (another damn law professor) on the social impact of design choices: "Network Architecture, Social Media and Social Justice"

  3. Software designer Tobias van Schneider on design ethics:  "The Art of Being a Hypocrite Designer"
 Third paper due