IS 350 — Computer, Society & Ethics
Teaching Assistant for an upper-level course examining the ethical implications of computing in society, including privacy, professionalism, algorithmic bias, and digital intellectual property.
Instructor: Dr. Julie Ancis
Term: Spring
Location: NJIT, Newark, NJ
Time: Mondays & Thursdays, 2:30–3:50 PM
My Role
I served as the Teaching Assistant for this course in Spring 2025, working with Dr. Julie Ancis. My responsibilities included holding weekly office hours, instructing two class sections, and grading assignments.
Course Overview
This upper-level course examines the ethical implications of computers and information systems.
Textbook
Michael J. Quinn, Ethics for the Information Age, 9th edition (2024).
Course Components
- Attendance & participation — 15%
- Ethical Case Analysis Assignment — 20%
- Three quizzes — 45%
- Team debate — 20%
Schedule
| Week | Date | Topic | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan 23 | Introduction & Ethical Analysis Course overview and introduction to ethical analysis frameworks. | |
| 2 | Jan 27 & 30 | Ethics — Theories & Analysis Ethical thinking, theories, and analysis methods. | |
| 3 | Feb 3 & 6 | Ethics, Freedom of Expression & Trust Continued ethical theory; freedom of expression online. | |
| 4 | Feb 10 & 13 | Professionalism & Codes of Conduct Professional ethics and codes of conduct in computing. | |
| 5 | Feb 17 & 20 | Social Issues in Technology Equity, gender, and Web 2.0. | |
| 6 | Feb 24 & 27 | Privacy & Civil Liberties Privacy concerns and civil liberties in the digital age. | |
| 7 | Mar 3 & 6 | Computers & Government Computing in governance and policy. | |
| 8 | Mar 10 & 13 | Reliability & Algorithmic Bias System reliability and bias in algorithms. | |
| 9 | Mar 24 & 27 | Work, Robotics & Green Computing Automation, robotics, and environmental computing. | |
| 10 | Mar 31 | History of Computing Historical perspectives on computing. | |
| 11–12 | Apr 7–17 | Student Debates Persuasive team debates on technology ethics dilemmas. | |
| 13 | Apr 21 & 24 | Professional & Legal Responsibilities Legal frameworks and professional obligations in computing. | |
| 14 | Apr 28 & May 1 | New & Innovative Topics Emerging issues in computing ethics. | |
| 15 | May 5 & 6 | Conclusion & Synthesis Trust, security, and privacy synthesis. |