Final Paper

The last part of this course (in addition to the book review and the weekly reading/responses) is a research and position paper. The purpose of this assignment is to take a question or issues that has come up in class or in the readings, research the question further, reflect on it, develop a personal position on the question, and defend your position.

There will be several check points in this process: a proposal, an outline, a rough draft, and a final submission. You will also make a short presentation about your paper during this course's exam block (or another time during finals week).

The paper should be 5-10 pages long. It should have a professional appearance (that is, produced using a word processor or typesetting system).

You will need to research the topic-- that is, find books and articles that address it. You may use readings from class, but your research will not appear to be very strong if all of your citations come from class readings. I would rather not put a requirement on the number of citations, but just to be on the safe side: you must cite a minimum of three works, and works by a minimum of three separate authors. Six or more citations is more what I have in mind (in fact, the more the better).

Below is a list of topics/controversies that have come up during the semester. You may propose one of these topics verbatim or, more likely, propose a topic that is a variation on one of these (that is, rephrase the question or take it in a more specific direction).

A few comments about this list: First, it is ok for more than one student to choose the same topic. Second, if you can think of items that have come up in class that have not made it to the list, let me know and I'll add them to it; it does not need to be something you're interested in researching--perhaps someone else in the class would be interested. Finally, if you have a topic that has been on your mind that has not come up in class but is relevant to social or ethical issues in computer science, you are permitted to propose a topic not on this list. However, you are urged not to go fishing for topics the list--choose a topic that has come up in class unless you have a strong interest in something else.

Topics

• Some of you have suggested in class that computer use could be improved or that computers could benefit society more if the general public were better educated in information technology--- or computer science and programming. Should we teach programming to a general audience in elementary or high school? Is there another mechanism that should be in place for making people more IT or computer literate? Alternately, is it more important to focus on making computer easier for the average user?
• During the semester, I've heard said things like "This matter is more of a concern for political science majors because they have a chance of holding public office and making a difference from there. This isn't our skill set." Or, "This is a question I'd rather have ethicists answer, not computer scientists." Is this sort of compartmentalization valid? Are computer scientists inadequate at deciding ethical issues? Should the shaping of public policy be strictly the domain of those trained in political science?
• We read some articles on professionalism. Should the management of computing systems be a regulated profession? There have also been calls to regulate some or all programming, while others argue market forces are adequate to protect the concerns of the public.
• Is the programmer (or, generally, developer of technology) at all responsible for the abuse of a piece of software (or other technology)? Do you have any moral obligations if you know someone will be using your software (or other goods and services you provide) in a way harmful to themselves or to others? Remember Deborah Johnson's article, HF 204-217.
• Can (information) technology help attain sustainability of human activity, or can it help improve the standard of living of those in the developing world? Or, does (information) technology necessarily increase consumption (and thus hurt sustainability efforts) and widen the gap between industrial and developing societies? Remember Basney's article from the beginning of the semester.
• Are computers and the Internet breaking down traditional communities? Are computers and the Internet building new communities? Are online communities suitable replacements for physical communities? Remember Chapter 3 In HF.
• Do computers affect a person's character? Does spending long periods of time using the computer make a person more introverted, or less sensitive to the emotional needs of humans? Does the anonymity of the Internet encourage antisocial (or, more generally, sinful) behavior? Or can computers help introverted people interact more socially?
• Do computer systems embody values? Remember the first Nissenbaum article [Nis01]. Alternately, does making a choice between The Right Thing and Worse-Is-Better reflect upon the programmer's values?
• Bill Joy gave a gloomy picture of the future under the rise of technologies such as genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics. Are we doomed? Will the nanobots take over?
• Are implantable brain chips (or similar trans-humanist technologies) feasible or ethical?
• Many questions could be asked about copyright and piracy. Is the traditional arrangement of copyright obsolete? Are the proprietary claims made by industries like the recording industry reasonable, or are they even a good business model? Is "piracy"--- unauthorized copying of software, written material, audio or video recordings--- inherently wrong, apart from what the current laws say? Do authors own their own works? Does it make sense for laws like the DMCA to forbid reverse engineering? What measures should the government (or individuals, or industry) take to prevent piracy?
• Should information be freely available even if it has a high potential for malicious use? Is providing software like DeCSS or Napster wrong?

Schedule

Here is the schedule and details for the various checkpoints for this assignment. Le me know soon if you have any requests to change this. I am open to adjusting this schedule, but only if we can figure it out early in the quad.

Propose paper topic: March 25. By email, please propose a topic for your paper. It should include a controversial question which you will attempt to answer. If you already have an opinion on this question, please state it; I won't hold you to it--- it's definitely ok if you change your view during your research. We should plan to have any problems in your proposal worked out by the end of the week; hence, we'll confirm the proposal by March 27.

Submit paper outline: April 8. Within two weeks, you should have most of your sources figured out, and you should have a working outline for your paper. This doesn't mean all your research has to be done, but a good part of it should be.

Submit rough draft: April 15. Three weeks from the proposal (one week after the outline), you should have a rough draft for me to read. This is a rough draft-- the main pieces of the paper should be there and the general direction should be clear, but it is possible that certain parts will still be fuzzy. Most of your research should be done, but it's also possible that in writing the rough draft that you'll find something new to explore.

Submit the final paper: May 1.