Welcome to the Class Wiki for CS/IT 285 L, Social Issues and Ethics in Computing, taught by Dr. Potasznik (potasznik@cs.umb.edu). Office hours: T/Th, 2:00-3:30pm by appointment, in M-3-201-32: down the main CS hallway (green double doors), when almost to the end make a left, second door on the left. Please email me to confirm the time you would like to see me since even during office hours I may stray from my office if no one has expressed interest in attending them.
If you need to miss an office hours appointment, please let me know before the agreed-upon time. Students who are no-shows for two appointments with no email or call may not be granted more appointments.
Email etiquette: Please include your first and last name and section number (class time works too) in any correspondence. Visit this page for more details.
Content warning: this course broaches topics that may be considered unpleasant, including but not limited to racial bias in algorithms and its effects, duplicity and corruption in national governments, military malfeasance, capitalistic exploitation of workers and the environment, and suicide. As adults, students are expected to explore these topics respectfully. Students are allowed to leave the lecture space in order to avoid topics that make them uncomfortable, and should communicate their intention to do so to the professor before or after the lecture. However, those who do not attend the entire lecture will be assessed at the same level as students who did attend (assessments are not changed to accommodate discomfort with course material).
About dropped grades: I will drop the two lowest quiz scores and the lowest DM score sometime around/before Day 23. I do this late in the semester so you don’t have a false sense of security with grades that could be drastically affected by a future poor score. That means your average up until Day 23 is probably quite a bit lower than it will ultimately. It is still possible for there to be big changes after Day 23, so please keep that in mind (i.e. your lowest DM score might have been a 50 and that was dropped, but you later get a zero and then the 50 will be counted and the zero dropped).
Need help with English grammar? Not sure how to avoid plagiarism? Visit the Umass writing center and sign up for free tutoring sessions.
Code for a cause and build your CV: socialcoder.org.
Consider a job or fellowship in Civic Tech: https://civictech.guide/jobs/.
Attend a hackathon: mlh.io.
Register to vote or check your registration here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/
General information:
Lectures will take place each class day at the time noted in Wiser.
Accommodations
UMass Boston is committed to creating learning environments that are inclusive and accessible. If you have a personal circumstance that will impact your learning and performance in this class, please let me know as soon as possible, so we can discuss the best ways to meet your needs and the requirements of the course. If you have a documented disability, or would like guidance about navigating support services, contact the Ross Center for Disability Services by email (ross.center@umb.edu ), phone (617-287-7430), or in person (Campus Center, UL Room 211). To receive accommodations, students must be registered with the Ross Center and must request accommodations each semester that they are in attendance at UMass Boston. For more information visit: Ross Center for Disability Services – UMass Boston (umb.edu). Please note that the Ross Center will provide a letter for your instructor with information about your accommodation only and not about your specific disability.
Academic Integrity and Student Code of Conduct
Education at UMass Boston is sustained by academic integrity. Academic integrity requires that all members of the campus community are honest, trustworthy, responsible, respectful, and fair in academic work at the university. As part of being educated here, students learn, exercise, increase, and uphold academic integrity. Academic integrity is essential within all classrooms, in the many spaces where academic work is carried out by all members of the UMass Boston community, and in our local and global communities where the value of this education fulfills its role as a public good. Students are expected to adhere to the Student Code of Conduct, including policies about academic integrity, delineated in the University of Massachusetts Boston Graduate Studies Bulletin, Undergraduate Catalog, and relevant program student handbook(s), linked at www.umb.edu/academics/academic_integrity.
Health, Wellbeing, and Success
UMass Boston is a vibrant, multi-cultural, and inclusive institution committed to ensuring that all members of our diverse campus community are able to thrive and succeed. The university provides a wide variety of resources to support students’ overall success. As we continue to deal with the evolving impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, these resources are more important than ever.
- Are you in emotional distress? Call 617.287.5690 to speak with a licensed clinician 24/7 who can offer support, crisis recommendations, and assistance with finding resources.
- Have a campus question or issue? Use Here4U in the UMass Boston app or via www.umb.edu/here4U.
- Want advice in navigating a university or life situation? Contact the Dean of Students Office at www.umb.edu/deanofstudents.
- Want to connect with housing and food insecurity support, student life groups and events, or recreation activities? Visit Campus Life – UMass Boston (umb.edu).
- Want to access resources specifically for immigrant-origin, DACA, TPS, and undocumented students? Visit Immigrant Student Programs – UMass Boston (umb.edu).
- Looking for additional identity-based community support? Find more resources at Inclusive Identity – UMass Boston (umb.edu)
- Want to make the most of your academic experience? Visit www.umb.edu/academics/vpass/academic_support.
- Unable to attend class on a specific date or participate in an exam or class requirement due to a religious observance? Fill out the excused absence form (requires 2-weeks’ notice) to request religious accommodation at Right To Excused Absence Because Religious Belief – UMass Boston (umb.edu).
