CS 1023 Cultural Implications of the Information Society

• Instructor: Neal R. Wagner
  Office: 3.02.16 SB, Telephone: (210)458-5550.
  Office hours (tentative): MWF 9-10 am, MW 1-3 pm.
  E-mail: wagner@cs.utsa.edu
        (Please limit e-mail to text-only. No attachments, especially
         no Microsoft Word attachments, and not even MIME attachments.)
  

• Syllabus:
  Basic information about the course, some of it repeated in more detail below.

• Goals and Objectives

The syllabus mentions course goals and objectives, while this link discusses them in more detail.
• Lectures and Assignments (tentative)
  This gives a schedule for lecture and discussion topics, for essay due dates, and for the project due date. (Weekly quizzes are always on Fridays.)

• Grading Policy

Your grade will depend on weekly quizzes, 4 one-page essays, a group class presentation, a web resource project, a final exam, and attendance.
• Class Seating Chart, HSS 3.04.12

Please try to stick to the same seat each period.
• Textbook: A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing
  By Sara Baase, Prentice-Hall, 1996.

  Sites related to the textbook:

  • Author's site for the book Contains course materials and other information.
    
  • Author's links to other organizations and documents. A good collection of links relevant to the course.
    
  • Publisher's site for the book. Information from Prentice-Hall about the text.
    
  • Amazon.com's listing for the text.
    Our text is priced here at $46.00, the same as in the UTSA Bookstore. With shipping, but no taxes, it should work out about the same.
  • Brian's Book's listing for the text.
    Our text is priced here at $39.10, in contrast with $46.00 in the UTSA Bookstore. I have not used Brian's Book's, so I can't vouch for them, but assuming the price quoted is correct and with no tax and modest shipping, this should be a $7 or so savings over the UTSA bookstore.
  (In addition to the textbook, the class will make extensive use of the World Wide Web.)

• Description (From the UTSA Undergraduate Catalog):

CS 1023 Cultural Implications of the Information Society
(3-0) 3 hours credit.
This course offers an examination of the modern information society and the influences of technological advances on society and culture. The emphasis is on information and its management--from ethical, social, and legal perspectives. Students will make extensive use of the World Wide Web.
• Prerequisites and Credit:

There are no prerequisites, and no specific previous knowledge of computers is assumed. However, students will be expected to use computers and to access the World Wide Web. This course counts for the ``Diversity of Thought'' slot in the Core Curriculum. Note: This course is not designed for computer science majors, and credit in the course will not count toward a Computer Science degree.

Links of Interest

• Last semester's web page
• Privacy Links