IS 201

COURSE CODE: IS 201
COURSE TITLE: Computer Ethics
PREREQUISITES: COI*
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Ethical issues confronting the computer professional.

COURSE GOALS:

After completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Define ethics and understand various ethical theories which comprise it
  • Define computer ethics
  • Describe philosophical challenges to computer ethics
  • Describe unique ethical problems in the wider world of information technology
  • Reflect on your personal ethics as a computer professional and a member of an online community

COURSE OUTLINE:

PART 1

  • Introduction Netiquette – a primer
  • Appendix A: Brief Introduction To Morality
    • takes a look at basic ethical theories throughout history and how they impact present views
  • Chapter 1 An Overview of Ethics
    • provides an introduction to ethics and discusses the philosophical approaches to ethical decision-making, and suggests a model for ethical decision making
  • Chapter 2 Ethics for IT professionals and IT users
    • explains the importance of ethics in business relationships of IT professionals and discusses the roles that certifications and licensing play in legitimizing the standards of IT professionals
  • Chapter 3 Cyberattacks and Cybersecurity
    • provides a classification of cybercrimes and threat actors, and explains how to respond to security incidents and how to improve security measures
  • Chapter 4 Privacy
    • explains how the use of computers affects privacy rights and legislation that have addressed these rights through the years
  • Chapter 5 Freedom of Expression
    • addresses issues raised by the growing use of the internet as a means for freedom of expression and examine how the ease and anonymity with which internet users communicate can pose problems for people who might be adversely affected

PART 2

  • Chapter 6 Intellectual Property
    • defines the intellectual property and explains the varying degrees of ownership protection; also discusses plagiarism, reverse engineering, open source codes, cybersquatting
  • Chapter 7 Ethical Decisions in Software Development
    • discusses the software development process and the importance of software quality
  • Chapter 8 The Impact of Information Technology on Society
    • examines the effect of new technology like AI and machine learning on the standard of living and worker productivity
  • Chapter 9 Social Networking
    • discusses how people use social networks and identifies and examines many of the ethical issues associated with the use of these
  • Chapter 10 Ethics of IT Organizations
    • covers a range of ethical issues facing the private and public sectors
  • Appendices Related Laws/Code of Ethics (appendices)