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Course:	Contemporary Issues in Computer Science CS 349 Unique Number: 50455
Instructor:	Sarah Abraham GDC 5.420 theshark@cs.utexas.edu Office Hours: MW 4:00-6:00
Teaching Assistants/Proctors:	Catherine Lu catherinelu@utexas.edu Office Hours: Th 12:30-1:30pm in GDC 4th Floor Atrium
Lectures:	MWF 3:00-4:00pm, GDC 5.302
Class Webpage:	www.cs.utexas.edu/users/theshark/courses/cs349
Recommended Textbook:	Ethics for the Information Age by Michael J. Quinn
Prerequisites:	Computer Science 429 (or 310) or 429H (or 310H) with a grade of at least C-

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Course Objectives

This class examines ethical frameworks, modern ethical concerns related to computer science and technology, and clear oral and written communication. Topics we will explore include policy vaccuums created by new technology, copyright and patent, software bugs and liability, freedom of speech, privacy, security, employment and job markets, warfare and state-building, wealth discrepency and consumerism, environmental impact, and changing cultural norms and social contracts. Students should come prepared to discuss and debate these issues, as well as provide peer-review and critique of other students' papers and presentations. Students will be graded based on their class participation, weekly blog posts, term papers, and final projects. Students should come out of this class with a better understanding of their impact on the world as well as better communication skills and technical writing.

Student Evaluation

Your performance in this class will be evaluated based on your daily contributions (including presentations, peer-critique, and class discussion), as well as weekly blog posts based on the class material and readings, a midterm paper, and a final project and report.

All papers must be submitted on time, and each late day will result in a 33% deduction from the paper's grade. After 3 days, you will receive no credit for the work.

The grading will be as follows:
Participation: 10%
Short Essays: 35%
Midterm: 20%
Presentations: 10%
Final project: 25%

Daily participation will be gauged in part using Instapoll via Canvas. If you are unable to attend a lecture, please contact the professor before class to inform her. More than 5 days of unexcused absences may affect your grade beyond the 10% participation score.

Academic Misconduct Policy

You are free to discuss course material with your classmates, but the actual writing must be done by yourself. As this is a course on ethics, it should go without saying, but university policy (see Dean of Students' policies on academic integrity) will be followed strictly.

Acts that violate university policy include:

• Copying written work from someone else or giving someone else your written work except insofar as you are working together in a team.
• Plagiarizing ideas or written work in blog posts or paper without citing sources.
• Engaging in ad hominem arguments where you insult or demean another class participant rather than providing feedback or remarks based on their position.

Other ethical violations include activities such as: 1) using faked and redundant citations to meet minimum citation count, 2) deliberately padding papers with unrelated or repetitive arguments to meet minimum page count. If I suspect a paper is written to deliberately deceive me, I will submit an academic dishonesty report to the University.

Your Responsibilities in This Class:

• You are expected to show up on time for class.
• You are expected to sign up for the course on Piazza.
• You are responsible for all material posted to the web site or piazza. Ignorance of such material is no excuse.
• You are responsible for all material presented in lecture.
• You are expected to engage in class discussion and provide constructive feedback to your peers, as well as accept constructive feedback from the instructor and your peers.
• You are responsible for following the university's policies on academic integrity. See above guidelines for more information on what is or is not allowed.

Writing (Wr) and Ethics and Leadership (EL) Flags This course carries the Writing Flag. Writing Flag courses are designed to give students experience with writing in an academic discipline. In this class, you can expect to write regularly during the semester, complete substantial writing projects, and receive feedback from your instructor to help you improve your writing. You will also have the opportunity to revise one or more assignments, and you may be asked to read and discuss your peers’ work. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from your written work. Writing Flag classes meet the Core Communications objectives of Critical Thinking, Communication, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility, established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

This course also carries the Ethics and Leadership flag. Ethics and Leadership courses are designed to equip you with skills that are necessary for making ethical decisions in your adult and professional life. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments involving ethical issues and the process of applying ethical reasoning to real-life situations.

Other General Information

The writing and blogging assignments may require use of the Department of Computer Sciences instructional computing resources. All CS students should already have accounts on these machines. If you do not already have such an account, you can obtain one for the class here. Other important information about facilities, including where the labs now are in the new building:

• UTCS academic computer labs
• UTCS computing FAQ

Undergraduate Writing Center
The Undergraduate Writing Center, located in the FAC 211, phone 471-6222, http://www.utexas.edu/cola/centers/uwc/ offers individualized assistance to students who want to improve their writing skills. There is no charge, and students may come in on a drop-in or appointment basis.

Services for Students with Disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471- 4641 TTY.

Religious Holidays
By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of your pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, you will be given an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

University Electronic Mail Notification Policy
All students should become familiar with the University’s official e-mail student notification policy. The complete text of this policy for updating your e-mail address are available at http://www.utexas.edu/its/policies/emailnotify.html. In this course e-mail will be used as a means of communication with students. You will be responsible for checking your e-mail regularly for class work and announcements.

Campus Safety
Regarding emergency evacuation: 512-471-5767, http://www.utexas.edu/safety. Evacuate buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and assembling outside. Further information regarding emergency evacuation routes and emergency procedures can be found at: http://www.utexas.edu/emergency. For Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL): 512-232-5050.

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