CS 3604 - Professionalism in Computing

Topics:

See the Calendar for more details.

Methodologies:

Expectations:

Different from most "algorithmic" courses that Computer Science majors take in their undergraduate career, this course is not one from which can expect to take away "the ultimate truth". Instead we would hope that it raises the consciousness among the participants of the potential social impact of the computer and the need to use good common sense in the application of the computer to everyday problems. Ethics and morals are developed by living in a community and recognizing the values that maintain harmony and peace within that community. Laws and policies can only go so far in regulating a person's behavior, and beyond that point it is the responsibility of the citizen to respect other people's rights in their day-to-day dealings with each other so as to develop a sense of community in which each person can "pursue their right of happiness".

While we will discuss the legal ramifications of living in the "information age" we will also try to develop skills that will stand you in good stead in dealing with those aspects of life that are unregulated. To this end we will deal in a large part with communication skills including writing and oral presentations, using discussions and debates as the medium of exchange. Going beyond the laws and policies, it is essential that we understand where we are coming from and where others get their ideas. Both sides of an issue must be seen by an analyst, if for not other reason than to protect themselves against the opposing view. Further, it is better to have an opinion, and be able to back up that opinion with convincing arguments than to have no opinion at all!

 
Points to Ponder

Sidney Greenberg:

We may gamble on outsmarting the law; we may even gamble on the leniency of man and the mercy of God - but no man ever won a gamble with his own conscience. Even should he think he has beaten his conscience into submission, his misdeeds still leave their mark upon him. Anyone who gambles against this fact has already lost his gamble.
- Reader's Digest, March, 1996, p. 31.

P.J. O'Rourke:

Imagine if all of life were determined by majority rule. Every meal would be pizza. Every pair of pants, even those in a Brooks Brothers suit, would be stonewashed denim. Celebrity diet and exercise books would be the only thing on library shelves. And - since women are a majority of the population - we'd all be married to Mel Gibson.
- Reader's Digest, August, 1996, p. 147.

Last updated 2001/01/14
© J.A.N. Lee, 1997-2001.