The term paper should be on a topic related to this course as described below.
This course focuses on the social, ethical, and legal environment of the computing profession and of the use of computers in society. It encourages professional conduct consistent with accepted standards of ethics, social responsibility, and professional practice.
In this course, we have had readings, discussions, activities, and assignments related to ethical frameworks, professional codes of conduct, privacy, intellectual property, freedom of speech/expression, and risks/failures of computing systems. Other related topics include computer-related crime, computer/network security, globalization, and evaluation and control of the impacts of computing (and communication) technologies on the current and future workplace, economy, and society in general.
The term paper can take one of two forms:
For the ethical/social analysis option, use the Ethical Analysis Framework (Revision 1) distributed and discussed earlier this semester as a guide.
Select a topic of relevance to this course (see Course-Related Topics above), identify the related issues or ethical questions, and analyze the ethical, social, economic, and/or legal aspects of these issues. You should identify at least one ethical question to which you will apply the 11 steps of our ethical analysis framework, analyzing possible policies, identifying stakeholders and consequences, and drawing and supporting a conclusion. Try to look at the issues from multiple perspectives and include one or more specific cases or incidents related to the issue.
The paper should not be just a list of questions and answers. It should, in general, be in a narrative form with a clear thesis and flowing sentences and paragraphs.
For the book report option, choose an important/notable book about a topic or issue that is relevant to the course (see Course-Related Topics above). Your book report should summarize and discuss the key themes and issues discussed in the book, focusing on the social and ethical issues that are raised. While you do not need to use the Ethical Analysis Framework step by step, you may find it useful in identifying and discussing the relevant issues and ethical questions.
The target length for the term paper, not including cover page or bibliography, is 8-12 pages, double-spaced, in 11- or 12-point font with usual margins (approximately 3000 words). You should choose a topic you can cover in sufficient depth in that length. Do not pad the paper just to make it longer or skimp on the details if the topic is too big.
The topic statement (uploaded to Blackboard by Noon on Friday, November 13) is a short summary of your intended topic area (the topic, the main issues, and specific cases/incidents if you have identified some) or book (title, author, topic, some general explanation of why you chose it and how it is relevant for the class). The topic paragraph is just meant to be a single short paragraph, but of course, you are free to write more if you wish.
Since this is a fairly long paper, it should be organized into sections the way that a scientific paper or longer magazine article would be, with section titles (and subsections if appropriate) that help the reader to follow the flow of the paper and identify the main sections.
You are each choosing your own book or topic and your own emphases and perspectives. Choose an appropriate organization. Remember what you learned in your Writing and English courses about writing in general and term papers in particular. Your submission should have no spelling, punctuation, or formatting errors.
Submit you final paper in format to Blackboard both as a PDF and in your source format. Please identify what your source format is if not obvious (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, LaTeX, etc.). (I likely will be accessing it on my Mac using Word if compatible.)
Submit the paper to Blackboard before Thanksgiving Break. For this purpose, I will consider Thanksgiving Break beginning at 8:00 a.m., Monday, 23 November. (Yes, that is the Monday of Thanksgiving Break!)
Research papers should include a set of references (material that you used as you were researching the topic and that has influenced what you wrote, whether or not you are citing it specifically as a source). (Book reports do not require references, but you may end up doing some outside research on claims or issues discussed in the book, and in this case you should include the references you used.)
Use mostly "solid" or "establishment" sources. These include books, peer-reviewed technical articles in academic journals, newspaper or magazine articles in an "establishment" publication (i.e., a professional print publication, not an online blog or open-source website), or professional organization website (such as the American Medical Association or the American Meteorological Society). (It's fine to access these sources online, in the library electronic collections, Google Books, or wherever you are able to find them.) Most of your sources should be these kinds of references, but you may also include what I would call "informal" sources in your references if you have used them for background or to help you research the topic. Examples of "informal" sources include Wikipedia, company websites, informational sites like AAAI Topics, or respectable blogs like Blown to Bits. (Do not include any "junk" sources like answers.yahoo.com, clearly unfiltered/stream-of-consciousness blogs, or obviously promotional/commercial websites.)
Your bibliography should be neatly and consistently formatted, single-spaced (with blank lines between sources) using a consistent style. Use any standard format you wish for the citations and bibliography, but be consistent!
As noted in the syllabus, this course follows the academic integrity and discipline policy of the University of Mississippi. This policy applies to the term paper, topic statement, and any other items you submit. All writing that you submit should be your own, other than clearly delineated quotes with proper citations. (Heavy use of quotes very often reflects a lack of independent thinking, so you should use quotes judiciously and only when you need to capture exactly what another author said.)
This term paper description is adapted from one used by Dr. Marie desJardins in a similar course at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. Many thanks to Prof. desJardins for pointing me toward the materials for her class!
UP to CSCI 300 root document?