PHIL 112 (Ethics and Cybersociety) is a four-week, 1-credit introduction to ethical issues associated with new developments in information technology, including privacy rights, intellectual property rights, and the effects of information technology on society. Sections L01 and L02 are part of the Mason Topics Information Society package. Each section is linked with a corresponding section of English 209 and English 101.

The course will provide background necessary for ethical reasoning and the analysis of ethical arguments. Specifically, the course will examine the ethical issues arising from computer and information technologies. The advent of a massive interconnected network of computers and databases (the Internet and its graphic, user-friendly subsidiary, the World Wide Web) have dramatically altered many of these issues (privacy, property, regulation).

Course Goals

The issues and questions we will deal with in the course will be familiar to most students: how much privacy can you expect online? Is it OK to download music or movies from a peer-to-peer file-sharing service? If a computer system allows (possibly unauthorized) access, under what conditions (if any) is one justified in accessing it? This course does not aim to provide answers to these questions (many of you already have answers formulated); rather, this course aims to provide a foundation upon which well-reasoned responses may be built.

The course will introduce two major philosophical approaches to ethical issues. We will then examine three areas in which these general theories can be applied: privacy, property, and the social effects of technology.

Course Policies

Attendance

GMU does not have an attendance policy; however, this course requires a large degree of participation from each student. The essay topics will develop from class discussions; in fact, your responses to the issues discussed in class will be the essay topics. In addition, there will be a number of short in-class writing assignments; these assignments make up 20% of your grade and cannot be made up.

Late assignments and Revisions

Late assignments lose a letter grade each day they are late, unless prior arrangements are made with me. The short in class writings may be revised, but you cannot make up a missed in class writing. The first essay may be revised, but the second one cannot, as it comes too late in the course to allow for revision.

Honor Code

The full text of the GMU Honor Code is available online. I will report any suspected Honor Code violations to the Honor Committee.

Assignments and Grading

Essay 1: 25%
Essay 2: 25%
In class writings: 20%
Participation: 10%
Quiz: 5%
Final Exam: 15%

Schedules

Section L01 meets MW 9:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. in Innovation Hall 327 from August 25 to Sept 22 only. This section is linked to English 101: L01 and English 209: L01.

Section L02 meets MW 9:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. in Innovation Hall 327 from September 29 to October 27 only. This section is linked to English 101: L02 and English 209: L02.