Florence Appel

Revisiting Moor's Towards a Theory of Privacy in the Information Age

Back in 1988, when my department chair encouraged me to pursue my interest in developing a course on the social and ethical impact of computing, I was thrilled at the prospect but had no idea how difficult it would be to find resources to support my teaching. I did some pre-Web digging and found two organizations that delivered on their promises to provide me with valuable sources of material: ACM SIGCAS (ACMs Special Interest Group for Computers and Society, and the publisher of this newsletter) and CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility). I quickly joined each group, subscribed to each ones publications, and the rest, as they say, is history. Over the past twenty years, I have enjoyed a rich and rewarding career in the area of computer ethics and its pedagogy, and have benefited professionally and personally through my affiliation with a vibrant interdisciplinary community of computer ethics scholars. I am happy to report that Computers and Society continues to provide my students with thought-provoking material, and is now part of a large and growing body of literature.

The study of database design must address privacy concerns

The proliferation of electronic databases has given rise to many practices and occurrences that pose serious threats to personal privacy. This paper argues that attention to privacy should be an integral part of the database design process, and that database designers are uniquely positioned to ensure that this happens. To motivate students to become privacy‐conscious database design professionals, computer science programs must meet the challenges of implementing an “ethics across the curriculum” methodology to integrate privacy content throughout the design thread of the introductory database course.

Computer science curriculum 2013: social and professional recommendations from the ACM/IEEE-CS task force

Social and professional principles were included in ABET computer science accreditation standards in 1987 and first appeared in the ACM/IEEE-CS Computing Curricula in 1991. This moderated panel presented the Social Issues and Professional Practice Knowledge Area (SP KA) of the 2013 ACM/IEEE-CS draft curricular guidelines for computer science. Specific knowledge units from the Ironman version were highlighted for discussion along with course and module exemplars

Proposed revisions to the social and professional knowledge area for CS2013 (abstract only)

The ACM/IEEE-CS 2001/2008 computer science curricular guidelines are in the process of being updated and the strawman version of CS2013 will be unveiled at SIGCSE 2012. Inclusion of the ethical, societal and professional responsibility issues dates back to Computing Curricula 1991. This poster session will present the revised Social and Professional issues knowledge area and provide a means for any SIGCSE community member to provide feedback directly to SIGCAS and the CS2013 steering committee. Specific core and elective knowledge units, topics and learning outcomes will be delineated. The current state of the discipline and the profession were examined to provide contemporary guidance for the education of ethical behavior, professional practice and societal impact for computer science majors.

From the man on the moon to 2001 and beyond: the evolving social and ethical impact of computers a session to commemorate SIGCSE' 40 anniversary

1. SUMMARY The session, which is being held on the occasion of SIGCAS’ 40 Anniversary, will provide a historical perspective on curricular efforts to address the profound social and ethical impact of the rapid development of computer technology since its widespread deployment in the 1960’s. Presenters, who represent veteran and newer members of SIGCAS, are in the process of developing a variety of innovative approaches to incorporating computer ethics and social impact issues into their computer science curricula, and will discuss their efforts to engage students in the study of the larger context of computing. Audience members will be encouraged to contribute experiences and ideas, and to learn how their involvement in SIGCAS can further the development of curriculum in this area.