CIS 0835: Cyberspace and Society
Section 003 ---- Fall Semester 2007
Lecturer:Laurie Shteir
Tech News:
Walter Mossberg the lead
Personal Technology writer for the
Wall Street Journal will be giving a
presentation at TempleUniversity on
October 22nd from 11:40-1:30 ---
Don’t miss this opportunity for an outstanding
presentation
Office Locations: Wachman Hall, room 418
Email:
Personal Website:
Office Hours: Tuesday from 2 PM to 3 PM, other hours by appointment
Course Website for virtual labs:
Lab Assistant: Orawee Praserthdam
E-Mail:
Office Location:Wachman Hall, room 412
Office Hours: Tuesday, 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM or by appointment
Class Meeting Times:Tuesday: 4:40 to 7:10 in Tuttleman room 7
Objective:
This course provides students with an understanding of the underlying principles of technologies that have an impact on their lives and how those principles are related to real-world activities. Class lectures, readings and student discussions will be utilized to integrate the application of technology with social and ethical issues facing society. For example: What is the impact of the Internet on intellectual property? How far can government surveillance go to detect criminal behavior without reducing our civil liberties? How can vulnerable groups be protected from predators, scam artists, and identity theft?
We will try to achieve an equal mix between technology, social-ethics discussions and hands on laboratory work. I want to encourage a respectful and open environment for the free exchange of ideas. Questioning ideas but not individuals is important to achieve this free exchange.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
A USB/Flash drive for working on your websites and for other homework assignments, a
Temple University Net-Access Account (commonly referred to as your “Astro” or TU mail account)
BOOKS: An OPTIONAL technology book has been ordered for the TU bookstore. We will be utilizing PowerPoint presentations and web resources for the technology and ethics component of the course, if you feel you would like a text resource for the technology part of this course, this book has been ordered for you!
- Succeeding with Technology: Computer System Concepts for Real Life, Stair and Baldauf, Thomson Course Technology, 2007
We will use Blackboard for a variety of resources so will need to check on Blackboard and your TU mail account on a routine basis during the semester.
In addition we will access the following websites
Course Lab Website:
GRADES
Grades will be assigned as follows:
Final Examination (80-100 points)
Assignments / 30% / Semester Group Project
Debate Assignment/Wiki(one of the Labs)
Mini Assignments: Summaries on Social and Ethical Issues
Other Assignments as assigned
Lab Assignments / 30% / Webpage Creation, E-Commerce Review, Digital Editing, PC Configuration Lab, Network Scavenger Hunt
Class Participation / 10% / 4 Blogs on social and ethical issues and participating in the class discussions
TOTAL
*One quiz will be dropped from your final grade to adjust your final grade no more than half a grade
COURSE POLICIES:
- There are no quiz makeups. If you are not present when the quiz is distributed (late/absent/whatever) you will receive a 0 for that quiz.
- All labs are due at the beginning of Tuesday’s class unless otherwise noted. Late labs: will result in the loss of points
- 15% reduction for up to 1 week late
- 30% reduction for up to 2 weeks late
- Submission of late homework assignments need to be discussed with the Instructor. Please note: Mini-Assignments cannot be submitted late
- At the end of the semester, your lowest quiz grade will be dropped from your grade.
- Students with special needs: Any student who has a need for accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss the specific situation as soon as possible. You should also contact Disability Resources and Services at 215-204-1280 in 100 Ritter Annex.
- The University has adopted a policy on Student and Faculty Academic Rights and Responsibilities (Policy # 03.70.02) which can be accessed through the following link:
- Cell phones and pagers MUST be turned off in my class.
- You will be responsible for research on various topics. Wikipedia and other similar sites are NOT acceptable sources of information for this course
- We will have a series of debates during the semester, students will work in groups of four. The end product will consist of an in-class debate and an on-line wiki. Students will vote confidentially for the winner of the debate.
- There is one semester-long research project. Students will work in teams of four . The end product will consist of a paper, a PPT presentation and an in-class discussion.
COMMUNICATION OUTSIDE OF CLASS: My office hours and email are listed above. Email is typically the easiest way to reach me outside of class or my office hours. You need to check Blackboard and your Temple email regularly during the semester.
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION: Attending classes is critical for you to be successful in this course. The “class participation” portion of your grade is at my discretion and includes your attendance. Required write-ups on ethics readings will also factor into this part of your grade. Class participation is integral for this class to be effective.
ORIGINALITY OF WORK:Do not cheat in this class. I take this very seriously as does the university!! This includes plagiarism. If you quote someone else’s material, you MUST cite it properly. This includes all material taken from the Internet. All of your work must be your own…this includes your lab assignments.Students should also be familiar with the University statement on academic honesty found at the following link.
FINAL GRADESwill be assigned as follows. Your grade equals:
Final Grade
/Percentage
A / 92-100A- / 90-91
B+ / 88-89
B / 82-87
B- / 80-81
C+ / 78-79
C / 72-77
C- / 70-71
D+ / 68-69
D / 62-67
D- / 60-61
F / 0-59
SEMESTER SCHEDULE: This schedule is subject to change throughout the semester. Changes will be communicated in class or thru Blackboard.
Week 1: August 28thCourse Introduction
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On
Homework Assignment / Reviewing the Syllabus, Accessing Course Content on Blackboard and the Cyberspace website
Introduction to Computers, Digital Technology, Types of Computers, Terminology and Introduction to Software
Information: How is the collection and use of information different in Cyberspace
Creating a Blog (worth 2 points)
Write a short paragraph introducing yourself to your class mates, provide your full name, also include what you want to learn most about in class this semester
Week 2: September 4th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On
Misc / Mobile Computing, Cell Networks, Cell Phones
Digital Divide, $100 Laptop
Review of posting a document on the Class Blog and the requirements for the Blogs on Social/Ethical Issues
Debate Sign Up Sheet
Semester Group Project
Week 3: September 11th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On / Quiz 1: Lecture material from Weeks 1 and 2 (study notes and PPT presentations posted on Blackboard)
The Internet and WWW
On-Line Dating, Internet and Education
Wiki Lab
Week 4: September 18th
Lab/Hands-On / Webpage Creation
Website Plan is due: October 2nd
Website due date: October 16th
Week 5 : October 2nd
Lab/Hands-On / Webpage Creation continued
Week 6: October 9th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hand-On / The Internet/Telecommunications and Networking
Computer Software
File types and compression techniques
Intellectual Property and Content Control in Libraries
Digital Piracy, software ownership and open source
Debate: There should be unrestricted Internet access in public libraries
Network Scavenger Hunt (Extra Credit)
Week 7: October 16th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On / Quiz 2: The Internet/Telecommunications and Networking
Computer Hardware
Plagiarism
Debate: Wikipedia should be a valid reference source for this course
Configuring a PC
Week 8: October 23rd: Instructor is Out of Town
Week 9: October 30th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On / Quiz 3: Computer Hardware
Computer Crime and Security
Tradeoffs in Computer Security, Altering Digital Photographs
Debate: Online privacy and security are impossible to enforce
Digital Photo Lab
Week 10:November 6th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Lab/Hands-On / Quiz 4: Computer Crime and Security
E-Commerce
Privacy and Security
Debate: The victim is responsible for ID Theft
E-Commerce Site Evaluation
Week 11: November 13th
Tech Component
Social/Ethical
Misc / Databases
Data Mining and Data Merging
Debate: National ID cards provide more harm than benefits
Meet with group for planning purposes
Week 12: November 20th
Calendar Adjustment Day: No classes for Cyberspace and Society
Weeks 13 and 14: November 27th and December 4th
Group Presentations on Semester Projects and Reviewing for the Final Examination
Week 15: December 11th: Final Examination