WPI Social Implications Of Computing : 2024 A Term

**Syllabus**
Date	Topics	Due	Presenters
1. Friday 2024-08-23	Introduction	None	None
2. Tueday 2024-08-27	Critical Thinking	1. Chapter 1 - Catalysts for Change 2. Appendix A - Plagiarism 3. Appendix B - Introduction to Argumentation 4. “Organization of The Book” (xiv - xvi) in Preface 5. Sign up for individual presentation via email 6. Discussion Board: Movies	None
3. Friday 2024-08-30	Ethics	1. Chapter 2 - Introduction to Ethics - Optional: Sections 2.2 - 2.5 2. DRAFT: Paper 1: Computing Technology Timeline	None
4. Tueday 2024-09-03	Communication	1. Chapter 3 - Networked Communications 2. Paper 1: Computing Technology Timeline 3. Wiki: Computing Technology Timeline	1. Damian Jadczak - Social Media Psychosis 2. Matt Nickerson - Youngin's and Their Screens 3. Eleanor Foley - What You Should Do About Social Media
5. Friday 2024-09-06	Intellectual Property	1. Chapter 4 - Intellectual Property	1. Natalie Prezhdo - Copyright AI Input 2. Isabella Battaglia - AI Art Alimentation 3. Vasalii Gorbunov - Encrypted Messengers Dilemma
6. Tuesday 2024-09-10	Information Privacy	1. Chapter 5 - Information Privacy 2. DRAFT: Paper 2: Self Search	1. Keagan Hitt - AI Information Gathering 2. Jack Morris - Your Data and Why It Isn't Yours 3. Braeden Swain - Consensual Data Mining
7. Friday 2024-09-13	Privacy and Government	1. Chapter 6 - Privacy and the Government 2. Facial Recognition Debate 3. Paper 2: Self Search	1. Colin Lemire - Drawing the Sharing Line 2. Noah Cyr - Algorithmic Surveillance 3. Jason Luc - Tattletale Automatic Autos
8. Tuesday 2024-09-17	Security	1. Chapter 7 - Computer and Network Security	1. Michael Elkinson - Cybersecurity and Balancing Privacy 2. Bradley Kohler - Zero Day Geopolitics 3. Alexa Carr - Mass Surveillance and Your Security
9. Friday 2024-09-20	Reliability	1. Chapter 8 - Computer Reliability 2. Optional Paper: Facial Recognition Debate (NOTE Due date changed from 2024-09-17) 2. DRAFT: Paper 3: Code Testing	1. Abelardo Broche Ortiz - AI Software Engineering 2. Teodor Hellgren - Decisions Decisions Decisions 3. Colin Masucci - Singularity, What Could Go Wrong?
10. Tuesday 2024-09-24	Professional Ethics	1. Chapter 9 - Professional Ethics - Optional: Code of Ethics in book 2. Code of Ethics at: https://www.acm.org/code-of-ethics 3. Game Debate 4. Paper 3: Code Testing	1. Ben Proctor - Banning Law Enforcement Robots 2. Jonathon Chang - Hookup Culture Result or Cause 3. Olivia Kochol - Preventing The Doom Scroll
Friday 2024-09-27	NO CLASS	Wellness Day
11. Tuesday 2024-10-01	Livelihood and Transcendence	1. Chapter 10 - Automation and Globalization 2. Group Presentation Draft 3. DRAFT: Paper 4: Automation	1. Kimberly Cummings - iCyborg 2. Joseph Thesmar - Gig Economy: The Dark Side 3. Benson Lin - Autonomous Vehichle Future
12. Friday 2024-10-04	Group Presentations	1. Non-presenter Questions 2. Paper 4: Automation 1. Gattaca (1997) - Isabella Battaglia, Michael Elkinson, Vasilii Gorbunov, Benson Lin, Colin Lemire, (KAP) 2. War of the Worlds (2005) - Bradley Kohler, Colin Masucci, Tien Nguyen, (KAP) 3. Bo Burnham: Inside (2021) - Damian Jadczak, Alexa Friedman Carr, Chloe Polit, Kim Cummings, Matthew Nickerson, (KAP)
13. Tuesday 2024-10-08	Group Presentations	1. Non-presenter Questions 1. The Social Network (2010) - Jonathon Chang, Olivia Kochol, Noah Cyr, Piotr Skoczylas, Jason Luc, (KAP) 2. Real Steel (2011) - Braeden Swain, Abelardo Broche Ortiz, Benjamin Proctor, Joseph Thesmar, (KAP) 3. Free Guy (2021) - Eleanor Foley, Teodor Hellgren, Jack Morris, Keagan Hitt, Natalie Prezhdo, (KAP)
14. Friday 2024-10-11	Student Choice	1. Group Evaluations 2. Group Web Sites 3. Optional Paper: Game Debate	1. Chloe Polit - Depending On IT 2. Tien Nguyen - Trusting Deep Fake

Weekly Time Guideline

 4 hours class time
 4 hours reading (2 chapters ~90 pages @ 2 minutes per page)
 8 hours practicing mastery of material
   - papers, group project, class activity preparation
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16 hours / week

The Syllabus will change throughout the course as talks are scheduled, new interests are found and material is covered ahead or behind schedule. Changes will be made in class and recorded in the class slides. You are responsible for the material in the assigned reading and class slides.

Students with approved academic accommodations should plan to submit their accommodation letters through the Office of Accessibility Services Student Portal. Should you have any questions about how accommodations can be implemented in this particular course, please contact me as soon as possible. Students who are not currently registered with the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) but who would like to find out more information about requesting accommodations, documentation guidelines, and what the accommodated interactive process entails should plan to contact OAS either by email AccessibilityServices@wpi.edu, by phone (508) 831-4908, or by stopping by the office on the 5th floor of Unity Hall.

The Writing Center offers one-on-one consultations, both in-person (in SL 233) and over Zoom, to help you improve as a writer. Writing Center tutors will read your written work, give you feedback about your document’s strengths and weaknesses, and help you chart a path forward as you revise. Consultations are free and open to all WPI students for all classes and projects, and tutors will happily work with you at any stage of the writing process (early brainstorming, revising a draft, polishing sentences in a final draft). To see our appointment options for both in-person and synchronous online meetings, go to the Writing Center homepage: wpi.edu/+writing

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If there is a chance someone is in imminent danger of suicidal action, WPI Campus Police can be reached at 508-831-5555 (or call 911 if off campus).