Ethical Analysis

See also: Case Analysis General Guidance.

Kallman and Grillo in their book, Ethical Decision Making and Information Technology (2nd Ed.) present an excellent method for sorting wheat from chaff. [I refer to their book in this course as EDM. As you go along, correct the minor publication errors (for example, Fig. 1-1 on page 9 is incorrectly labeled Fig. 3-1). You will see that the real Fig. 3-1 on page 34 (copied along with Fig 1-1 into Appendix B worksheets) provides an excellent framework for ethical analysis.]

We will apply the framework of EDM Fig. 3-1 in a series of six case analyses. Three of them will come from the cases in Part 2 of EDM. The other three will be real life situations or events that you propose. You will develop the case from research on the Internet, articles in periodicals or newspapers, or events in your organization of which you are fully aware, etc. No fabricated situations, please. Keep it real world, current (within the past three years) and on topic. Keep the analysis your own. You may include the analysis and judgment of others, properly referenced, but keep it within the framework of the worksheets in Appendix B.

Topics of the case analyses will closely follow the Course Modules shown on WebTycho. These modules are based on the first edition of EDM but we can use them for general guidance.

Cases 1 and 2 that you will prepare will relate to Module 2. I will assign a specific case from EDM part 2 as your Case 1; you will propose and then report on a case related to information acquisition, access or stewardship as your Case 2. [These first two cases will be weighted more lightly for grading purposes - see the syllabus.]

Cases 3 and 4 will relate to Module 3. I will assign a specific case from EDM part 2 as your Case 3. You will propose and then report on a case related to software ownership; intellectual property rights; or computer security, crimes, liability, safety or reliability as your Case 4.

Cases 5 and 6 will relate to Module 4. I will assign a specific case from EDM part 2 as your Case 5. You will propose and then report on a case related to the social impact of computer technology as your Case 6.

See the assignment schedule in our WebTycho classroom for due dates. Plan and work ahead, please.

Where to start? Review EDM, Chapter 3 and the example ethical case analysis. Johnson's book, Computer Ethics (CE), dovetails very nicely here. CE has us think in different ways about the possible implications of a variety of actions. EDM, in the Fig. 3-1 framework, gives us a formal way to document that exploration and produce a result (a decision).

Unless otherwise excused, use the MS Office suite of programs to prepare your report.

Use as many of the tools and strategies that you already know or will learn in this course as possible. However, the intent of this formal ethical case analysis is for you to demonstrate what you will have learned from the concepts and techniques presented in this course.

Where sources other than your texts are used, please include a complete bibliographic reference and final summary of works cited. I should be able to find any quote or paraphrase with relative ease in the original source. Just as importantly, unless the idea, details, graphics, etc. are uniquely your own (and presented for the first time in this report) or in that body of knowledge termed 'general' by a non-specialist, make sure you cite your sources. If you use some else's idea, exact words, graphics, etc., give them credit. If you use a paper you or someone else has written for a prior class or purpose, include it in your references. Be careful. Do not unintentionally plagiarize what has been called 'intellectual property.'