Social Implications of Computing

CS 195, Fall 2014


Topics, Assignments, and Readings

There is a course reader at Copy Central, 48 Shattuck Square (that little island in the middle of Shattuck south of University). All assigned readings will be in the course reader, linked below, or handed out in class.

For many of the linked readings you need to have your UC Berkeley library proxy server enabled on your web browser, or install the Berkeley VPN on your computer (better privacy).

9/10 Privacy (slides)

Complete this survey by Tuesday 9/9 at 11:59pm.

Rachels, "Why Privacy Is Important"

Boyd, "Facebook's Privacy Trainwreck"

Miller, "Addicted to Apps"

9/17 Intellectual Property (slides)

Complete this survey by Tuesday 9/16 at 11:59pm.

Stallman, "Misinterpreting Copyright"

Stallman, "The Dangers of Software Patents" (Video)

Heckel, "Debunking the Software Patent Myths"

9/24 Ethics (slides)

Complete this survey by Tuesday 9/23 at 11:59pm.

Utilitarianism (or try section 1 of this alternate reading on utilitarianism)

Kant's Morality (or try sections 2 & 3 of this alternate reading on Kant)

Virtue Ethics (or try sections 1 & 2 of this alternate reading on virtue ethics)

Macintyre, Chapter 14 of After Virtue called "The Nature of the Virtues," (or read the summary written by your classmates). This reading appears in the course reader. Be careful: page 196 is out of order. A Google search may lead you to an electronic version of this copyrighted work.

10/1 War (slides)

Complete this survey by Tuesday 9/30 at 11:59pm.

Complete this essay assignment by Thursday 10/2 at 11:59pm.

Mahnken, "Weapons: The Growth & Spread of the Precision-Strike Regime" (or read the summary)

Dunlap, "The Military-Industrial Complex"

Shaffer "Artificial Intelligence Outsmarts the Bomb"

10/8 Education (slides)

Complete this survey by Tuesday 10/7 at 11:59pm.

Complete your peer reviews by Friday 10/10 at 4:00pm.

Papert, "Mathophobia: The Fear of Learning" is Chapter 2 of Mindstorms and appears in your reader. (There is also an online chapter summary with excerpts posted on an external site.)

Fish, "The Two Cultures of Educational Reform" (summary)

10/15 Finance (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 10/15 at 4pm.

Philips, "How the Robots Lost: High-Frequency Trading's Rise and Fall" (summary)

Norvig, "Economics Simulation"

10/22 Economics (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 10/22 at 4pm.

Complete essay assignment 2 by Thursday 10/30 at 11:59pm.

Simon, "Public Administration in Today's World of Organizations and Markets"

Varian, "Beyond Big Data"

Brynjolfsson and McAfee, "Jobs, Productivity and the Great Decoupling"

Pew Center, "AI, Robotics, and the Future of Jobs" (summary)

10/29 Politics (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 10/29 at 4pm.

Gladwell, "Small Change: Why the Revolution will not be Tweeted" (summary)

Balz, "How the Obama campaign won the race for voter data"

11/5 Games (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 11/5 at 4pm.

Complete essay 2 peer reviewing by Thursday 11/6 at 11:59pm.

von Ahn and Dabbish, "Designing Games with a Purpose" (summary)

Gentile et al., "The effects of violent video game habits on adolescent hostility, aggressive behaviors, and school performance"

Jenkins, "Reality Bytes: Eight Myths About Video Games Debunked"

11/12 Software Risks (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 11/12 at 4pm.

Levenson and Turner, "An Investigation of the Therac-25 Accidents" (summary)

Hochheiser, "Workplace Database systems: Difficulties in ata collection & presentation" (reader)

11/19 Professional Ethics (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 11/12 at 4pm.

Complete essay 3 by Wednesday 11/26 at 11:59pm.

ACM, "Professional Code of Conduct"

Anderson, "Using the new ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Making" (summary)

Bok, "The Morality of Whistle-Blowing" (reader)

11/26 No Class! Happy Thanksgiving

12/3 Existential Threats (slides)

Complete this survey by Wednesday 12/3 at 4pm.

Complete essay 3 peer reviewing by Thursday 12/4 at 11:59pm.

Joy, "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us" (summary)