CS/IT 285L

Welcome to CS/IT285L: Social Issues and Ethics in Computing. The Spring 2025 semester begins on January 28, 2025. This class is conducted on campus. Please check Wiser for your course time and location.

Please familiarize yourself with this website, as along with Canvas it will be the main online resource for you throughout the semester. It is imperative that you click through all the links you see on the right side of the page (or at the bottom of the page on mobile) so you’ll know what’s expected in this class.

I’m looking forward to having you in class!

-Dr. P.

Hi Friday students!
Our last day of class is this week, December 6. If you’d like to attend an optional final paper workshop session next week, you can join any of the Tuesday/Thursday sessions listed on the syllabus for December 5th and/or 10th. December 12th is a dedicated work-on-the-final-paper-from-home day.
Have a lovely rest of your semester!

The first in person meeting of the new IT Club will take place this coming Thursday, December 5th, in the Integrated Sciences Complex, Room 3300.Holiday food will be on offer and Jason Agress speaks about his experiences working in the IT industry.

If you are the in 11am, 12:30pm, 4pm, or 5:30pm class: Due to all projects being presented on time, Day 25 (December 3) has now joined the OPTIONAL workshop days. No grade or attendance will be noted on Day 25. Those who choose to attend the workshop should prepare the 9.3.1 outline for their final paper so we have something targeted to work on.

If you are in the Friday section, this is a reminder that there is no class on November 29 but there IS class on December 6. On that day, you should have submitted/be ready to discuss the homework listed under Day 24 on the homework page.

From our SI Instructor:

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to inform those who were planning to attend office hours with me on Monday December 9^th (12/9/24) that I will not be in town that day, so please don’t attend (unless you want to hang in an empty room). I will be opening up Friday of that week for more Zoom calls and am always available through email if anyone needs anything. 

Best Regards,
Ryo N-D

In honor of our lecture on neo-luddism, try not using any device with a screen for five consecutive hours (when you’re awake!).

Cool graphic-novel style article on neo-luddism.

Register, stay for at least an hour, and come say hi to me between 11am and noon for +10 points on your lowest homework grade.

Answer: Yes!

Class format for now to end of semester: Announcements > homework discussion > project presentation > lecture.

As audience members, please be respectful: no speaking or texting while your classmates present. Try to engage with their questions: presenters are counting on you to respond, and you will eventually be counting on them too for your own project!

Presenters: Don’t approach the front or try to set up until you are explicitly told to do so. We still need to get you credit for your homework discussion!

Don’t start presenting until you see the professor make eye contact from the audience and give a thumbs up. That’s when your timer will start.

While sending your slides is not required as part of your presentation, I may ask to access them.

Your grade should be viewable in Canvas when you leave class. These grades are not necessarily final and may change based upon slide review.

Timing, connections, more project guidance is all on the relevant instructions page.

Thank you all for the relatively smooth midterm experience! Grades will be released after the Friday section takes their test. Here are some frequently asked questions:

Can I see what I got right and wrong?

Yes, with an office hours appointment. I know it’s annoying, but while you would never try to save completed tests or post answers online, some students feel the need to try. The nature of the test requires special vigilance over completed copies. As a result, students (rightfully) wondering what they got right and wrong will need to schedule an office hours appointment. The meeting should only take a few minutes.

I missed the midterm, can I take it now?

This is one of the few assignments in the course (along with projects and final papers) that are scheduled on certain days and do not qualify for late work. The relevant portions of the syllabus are below.

Are you registered? You can still register to vote as long as you do so by October 26.

Check your registration status here.

Don’t want to drive anywhere? Apply to vote by mail – it’s super easy and you have until October 29 to say you want a mail-in ballot. You can even email your application.

Here’s a link to all the early voting locations around Boston. You can vote as early as October 19.

In addition to voting for big offices like president, you’ll also be able to vote on important ballot questions regarding education, unionization, psychedelics, and more.