CMPT 320

Sociotechnological Issues of Computing Science

Spring 2012 - Burnaby Campus

SPECIAL ANOUNCEMENTS

• Inspector Kevin McQuiggin (ret.) will give a guest lecture on February 2nd.
• I moderating SFU's "Philosopher's Cafe" on January 25th - The topic is "Why Not Science in Social Science".  You are invited as special guests (there is another on February 15th).
  

HOMEWORK LINK

Office Hours:

Instructor: One hour before class and after class when needed - instructor's office.
TA: TBA.

Text: Course pack available in bookstore (NO TEXTBOOK for lectures).

GRADING:

• Tutorials - CANCELLED
• Term Project - CANCELLED
• Research and classroom activities - 20%
• Midterm (Thursday, February 23rd) - 30%
  
• Final Examination  -  50%

NOTES:

• All assignments must be completed and handed in for a passing grade in this course.
• It is the student's responsibility to keep track of his/her performance using our new grade-tracking webpage located http://courses.cs.sfu.ca (to be dicussed).
• Assignments and examinations will be open to review for one week only.
• Students are expected to communicate in English at a level of proficiency that is becoming of an educated person - particularly, of a university student in upper division standing (please contact The Center for Research for Professional and Academic Writing in the English department for assistance).  Remember, you are not working for a technical certificate.  A university degree is a sign of "education," which entails both breadth of knowledge and acumen for communicating concepts.
• Be aware of the fact that the midterm date is after the last day to drop classes.
• Plagiarism will result in an automatic failing grade (note that some departments take harsher measures such as death by hanging).

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF LECTURE TOPICS:

• The readings in bold are what you are responsible for.  Readings in BOLD CAPITALS are the most important ones.  PowerPoints will be emailed to the class on an ongoing basis.  Note that we may not cover all topics enumerated below.

NON-MANDATORY ARITICLES (related to new communication mediums):

• Look up "Social-networking Web sites may be harmful to Britons' health" in the Herald Tribune, March, 2009 (the URL is unstable)
  
• British teenagers have lower IQs than their counterparts did 30 years ago, Telegraph, 2009.
• Web usage data outline map of knowledge, Naturenews, March 9, 2009.
• Cyber Security Initiative is Too Secret, SASC Says, FAS, May, 2008.
• Technology: The textbook of the future, Naturenews, April 1, 2009.
  

MANDATORY VIDEOS (shown in class and available on-line)

• Koyaanisqatsi.
• O.B.I.T (The Outer Limits, original series).
• Failsafe.
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (HAL 9000 sequence).
• Various videos on Information Warfare (Knowledge Network) and Privacy (CBC) from my personal collection.
• Century of Self: HC 79 C6 C45 2004b  - part 2 only  (This is afour part BBC documentary on how our post-WWII consumer society was born out of Freudian ideas).
• McLuhans Wake
  

Please note that the Century of Self can be seen on-line on YOUTUBE.  You are only responsible for part 2  

RECOMMENDED VIDEOS (Bennet Library Multimedia Collection)

• Commanding Heights: HD 87 C66 2002b (A three part WGBH documentary on the rise of the global economy with emphasis on free markets).
• Why We Fight: DS 79.76 W49 2006 (Documentary on the rise of the American military industrial complex) 
• Gun, germs, and steel: HM 626 G86 2005.
• Manufactured Landscapes TR 140 B868 E25 2007
  

Revised: December, 2011