CSci 300: Social Responsibility in Computer Science
Discussion Topics

Tentative Schedule

20 August

What is a profession? Is computing a profession?

22 August

Computing as a profession.

• Deborah G. Johnson. "Professional Ethics" from Deborah G. Johnson and Helen Nissenbaum, editors, Computers, Ethics and Social Values, Prentice Hall, 1995.

27 August

Computing as a profession. Is software development engineering? Professional accountability.

• Mary Shaw. "Prospects for an Engineering Discipline of Software", IEEE Software, Vol. 7, No. 6, pp. 15-24, November 1990.

29 August

Computing as a profession. Professional accountability and codes of ethics.

• Helen Nissenbaum. "Computing and Accountability", Communications of the ACM, Vol. 37, No. 1, January 1994.
• Ronald E. Anderson, Deborah G. Johnson, Donald Gotterbarn, and Judith Perrolle. "Using the New ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making", Communications of the ACM, Vol. 36, No. 2, February 1993. (We did not discuss this article but will do so as time allows later.)

3 September

Software as intellectual property.
Collection of "Legally Speaking" columns from Communications of the ACM.

• E. Robert Yoches. "Legal Protection for Computer Software", Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 2, pp. 169-70, February 1989.
• E. Robert Yoches and Arthur Levine. "Basic Principles for Copyright Protection for Computer Software", Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 544-545, May 1989.
• J. Michael Jakes and E. Robert Yoches. "Basic Principles for Patent Protection for Computer Software", Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 8, pp. 922-4, August 1989.
• Saul Lefkowitz and E. Robert Yoches. "The Role of Trademarks in the Protection for Computer Software", Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 32, No. 12, pp. 1391-3,1396, December 1989.
• Pamela Samuelson. "Should Program Algorithms Be Patented?" Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 33, No. 8, pp. 23-7, August 1990.

5 September

A "countercultural" view on software as intellectual property.

• Richard Stallman. "Why Software Should Be Free", Free Software Foundation, 1990.

10 September

Science fiction report due; oral reports part 1.

12 September

Science fiction oral reports part 2
Annotated bibliography topic description due.

17 September

Risks and safety.

• Nancy G. Leveson and Clark S. Turner. "An Investigation of the Therac-25 Accidents", IEEE Computer, Vol. 26, No. 7, July 1993.

19 September

Privacy and civil liberties.

• Janice C. Sipior and Burke T. Ward. "The Ethical and Legal Quandry of Email Privacy", Communcations of the ACM, Vol. 38, No. 12, December 1995.
• Selections from Chapter 6 of Neumann textbook.

24 September

No class

26 September

Annotated bibliography due.
Term paper topic description due.
Controlling risks.

• Chapter 9 of Neumann textbook

7 November

Term paper due.

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