COURSE SYLLABUS:           IFSM 304 - Ethical Issues in Information Systems

Dates/Times:                               DE, Term I-II, Aug 25th - Dec 12th, 2003

Faculty Contact Information:

¨       Instructor:                Wendy Davis-Gruber

¨       E-mail address:       wdavisgr@ faculty.ed.umuc.edu

¨       Address:                    W. Davis-Gruber
                              Leighton Ed. Center
                                     % UMUC
                                     Unit 26229  
                                     APO AE 09244                                     

          ¨       Office hours:            via email and Web Tycho conferences

Course Materials:           A Gift of Fire, Sara Baase, Prentice Hall, 2003                                     

Course Description:       (Fulfills the civic responsibility requirement.)  Prerequisite: IFSM 201. An introduction to information systems as used to provide information for decision making in a democratic society. The philosophy, techniques, and ethical considerations involved in evaluating information systems are discussed.

Course Introduction:      The use of computers is prevalent in every aspect of society today.  We as members of society must interact with computer systems either in our job or in performing everyday life tasks.  The issues that are discussed in this course are relevant not only to those students who want to become computer professionals, but for anyone who interact with computer systems in their daily life.  This course examines the influence of information shaping the post-industrial informational society and explores the relationship between information and the social, economic, political, constitutional and technological forces controlling and propelling modern society both publicly and privately.

This course also explores how information is used in binding society together, how information is used in the economic and political realms of society, and examines the role of information technologies in contemporary social change.  Lastly the course delves into the uses and abuses of information by democratic and authoritarian societies. 

It is not the intent of the course to change a person’s attitude regarding any of the issues discussed, rather to allow the student to make informed and justified decisions concerning possible ethical dilemmas they may encounter.  Additionally it should broaden one’s one perspective of these issues.     

Goals and Objectives:    After completing this course, the student should be able to:  

·        identify and discuss the fundamental concepts and unique attributes of the theoretical ethical frameworks presented (civic responsibility)

·        identify and categorize observed situations in terms of the presented theoretical ethical frameworks (civic responsibility, competence in information technology)

·        analyze information-system case studies and apply the presented ethical decision-making processes in written evaluations of these cases (civic responsibility, competence in information technology, effective writing, information literacy)

·        Identify and discuss the role of technology and its ethical issues in society throughout history and in the present (civic responsibility, historical perspective)

·        identify the ethical issues and problems in information technology and analyze when and how ethical issues become legal issues (civic responsibility)

·       describe the interaction between technology and humans, through global political, cultural, and historical mechanisms (international perspective, competence in information technology)

Course                                Grades for this course will be based on:
Evaluation:

ü                One assigned topic term paper                                       25%
Persuasive in nature on the ethical topic assigned

ü                Midterm exam                                                                 20%

ü                Homework/ Group Case Studies                                   20%

ü                Class participation                                                          10%

ü                Final exam                                                                        25%
                                            

Grades will be assigned as follows:

                                             A         92   to  100

                                             B         82   to   91

                                             C         71   to   81

                                             D         60   to   70

                                             F(A)     Less than 60

Project Descriptions

The project for this course is a Current Issues Persuasive Term Paper. The topic will be assigned by the instructor at the beginning of the course.  Various sections of your paper will be due at different dates throughout the term.  You will complete each section separately and submit it to your instructor on or before the due date. The description of the work to be turned  in is listed below.   

¨       Paper goal and outline list of main topics and subtopics  Due on Sunday of Week 6

Each student should submit a paragraph outlining the goals and objectives that s/he wishes to learn from the assigned topic.  Additionally a listing of the main topics and subtopics that the paper are to cover are to be submitted in outline form.

¨       Bibliography and references to be used:  Due on Sunday of Week 8
References should generally be one year or less in age.  See the description in the grading criteria below.

¨       Final Paper  Due on Friday of Week 10.

Term paper with grading criteria: 

Each paper is worth 25 points. (25% of grade)  The following point breakdown will be used for grading your papers.  The instructor assigns paper topics. 

¨       Contents: 15 points
Have you clearly stated your topic  and your stand on the issue and then supported that topic / stand?
Have you brought in all relative points to cover the topic?
What about adequate examples?
Each idea that you bring in should support the main topic.  Your ideas should flow between major points. 

¨       Ethical  tie in: 5 points
Does the paper adequately tie in with the topics covered in our course?
Have you brought out other ethical topics that may relate to your topic?
Have you supported that tie-in with relative sources, view points, etc? 

¨       Sources: 3 points
You must use a minimum of seven (7) sources for your paper. Your textbook is not considered a valid source for papers in this course and should not be used. Texts from previous courses should only be used minimally. 

¨       Technical:  2 points: 
 All papers must be submitted using the APA standard documentation style. Papers that are not properly formatted in this documentation style will be returned for correction and considered LATE!  

Use the following APA paper format: 

a.  Title page
b.  Abstract or executive summary page
c.  Body of paper (8 - 10 pages - double space, font size 10, 1 inch margins)
d.  Graphs /charts (if applicable)
e.  Reference/Bibliography section 

¨       Points will be deducted additionally for the following:
Late papers - Automatic 3 point deduction
Grammar / proofing problems - 3 to 6 points based on severity of problem.
Blatant plagiarism - automatic failure of paper! 

A word about plagiarism and unintentional plagiarism ...Don't fall victim to this crime! When in doubt – Source it out! Anytime you are using more that six consecutive words from anyone article or source it must be referenced and should appear in quotation marks. Check your documentation style!  All ideas, graphs, diagrams, pictures, etc. are copyright protected and deserve credit and therefore must be cited in your paper. Paraphrased ideas and articles need to be referenced/ cited as well. Ideas from other sources should be put in your own words, yet even so, they must be cited in your paper.  Neglecting to cite references constitutes plagiarism.  A plagiarized paper can result in course failure.  If you have any questions, be sure to ask me.  If you are looking for a quick reference on writing a term paper, let me suggest a reference manual called:  "A Pocket Style Manual" by Diana Hacker, Bedford Books, 1997, ISBN # 0-312-11596-2, available at UMUC or Amazon.com.  You can also find on-line information about the above sources by going to the UMUC on-line library that is available through the UMUC website at: www.umuc.edu/library. 

**OTHER SECTION:   Course Policies/ Student requirements:

 Attendance: 

Class attendance is expected and required. In Web Tycho this refers to signing into the classroom several times a week and participating in work assigned.  Attendance is directly related to the educational benefit received from posted lectures, class discussions, group case studies and in-class assignments. It is also a prime indicator of a student’s interest and motivation.  If  you must be absent from the classroom for an unavoidable duty assignment or emergency, contact me immediately. Please refer to the UMUC Student Handbook for further information on this

Class Preparation / Participation:

Assigned readings should be completed prior to the weekly class session in which the topic is scheduled. Class lectures are designed to reinforce the assigned text, to present additional material, and current issues. Students are expected to read and master the assigned readings independently when classroom time is used for discussions, case analysis, and  other exercises.  Learning means being involved, participating, and enjoying the class. Participation is the degree to which a student makes a responsible effort to contribution to class discussions. Participation is encouraged and expected.  If you are absent you cannot participate! 

Late Assignments:

Permission must be obtained in advance if an assignment is to be submitted late.  Late submission of assignments will result in a lower grade (15%) and is strongly discouraged.  Missed group work and small group participation cannot be made up! Assignments will no longer be accepted after the answers have been posted.