IS 350 — Computer, Society & Ethics
Teaching Assistant for an upper-level online course examining the ethical implications of computers and information systems, including privacy, professionalism, algorithmic bias, and digital intellectual property.
Instructor: Dr. Julie Ancis
Term: Spring
Location: Online
Time: Asynchronous (weekly online office hours)
My Role
I served as the Teaching Assistant for this online course in Spring 2026, working with Dr. Julie Ancis. This semester, I edited the weekly lecture videos to be more engaging and integrated supplementary materials in the videos. My other responsibilities included holding online office hours, moderating discussion forums, and grading assignments.
Course Overview
This upper-level online 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 20–23 | Introduction & Ethical Analysis Course overview and introduction to ethical analysis frameworks. | |
| 2 | Jan 26–30 | Ethics Ethical thinking, theories, and analysis methods. | |
| 3 | Feb 2–6 | Professional Ethics Professional ethics and codes of conduct in computing. | |
| 4 | Feb 9–13 | Network Communication Communication networks and their ethical implications. | |
| 5 | Feb 16–20 | Information Privacy Privacy concerns in the digital age. | |
| 6 | Feb 23–27 | Computers & Government Computing in governance and policy. | |
| 7 | Mar 2–6 | Computer & Network Security Security challenges in computing systems and networks. | |
| 8 | Mar 9–13 | Computer Reliability Reliability of computer systems and consequences of failure. | |
| 9 | Mar 23–27 | Automation & Globalization Impact of automation and global computing on work and society. | |
| 10 | Mar 30 – Apr 2 | History of Computing Historical perspectives on computing. | |
| 11 | Apr 6–10 | Debate Preparation Team formation and preparation for debates on technology ethics. | |
| 12 | Apr 13–17 | Student Debates Recorded team debates on ethical dilemmas in technology. | |
| 13 | Apr 20–24 | Cyberpsychology & Computing New and innovative topics; cyberpsychology’s influence on computing. | |
| 14 | Apr 27 – May 1 | Intellectual Property Digital intellectual property and its ethical dimensions. | |
| 15 | May 4–8 | Conclusion & Synthesis Synthesis of trust, security, and privacy themes. |