Calendar
Gift of Fire (3rd Edition)
Instructor
Name: Mr. Brockman
Email: James.brockman@sdhc.k12.fl.us
Week
Topic
Week 1
Course Requirements
Introduction to computers and
Society
Readings
- Gift of Fire (GoF)
- Web Site (URL)
- Handouts (HO)
HO: Syllabus, Calendar, Discussion
Guidelines and Current Events
Assignment
Discussions and Other
Assignments
Assignment instructions are
found in Discussion
Assignments
Assignment #1 - Introductions
GoF: Ch 1.1 -1.2
URL: Internet World Stats
Week 2
Week 3
Themes and Issues
Ethics
GoF: Ch 1.3 - 1.4
Privacy:
Databases
"Keeping up with the Joneses"
GoF: Ch 2.1-2.2
Privacy cont.:
Surveillance Technology
GoF: Ch 2.3-2.6
Current Event # 1
URL: "Keeping up with the Joneses"
Assign #2 - Privacy
URL: Federal Privacy laws
Week 4
Library Presentation: Using
Library Databases to Research
Your Paper
URL: How Stuff Works: How
Encryption Works
Free Speech
GoF: Ch 3.1-3.3
Assign #3 - Hate Speech
GoF: Ch 3.3 - 3.6
Assign #4 - Internet Safety
Suggested video: Hate.com:
Extremists on the Internet
Week 5
Censorship and Anonymity on the
Internet
Term Paper Topic
Week 6
Intellectual Property
Suggested Guest Speaker:
Electronic Librarian
GoF: Ch 4.1 - 4.2
Current Event # 2
Week 7
Intellectual Property cont.:
File sharing and piracy
GoF: Ch 4.3 - 4.7
Assign #5 - Intellectual Property
URL: Philip Larson Blog: P2P
Filesharing
Week 8
Midterm
GoF: Ch 1 - 4
Week 9
Crime:
Suggested Guest speaker: Campus
Information Security Officer
GoF: Ch 5.1 - 5.3
Assign #6 - Phishing
URL: How Phishing Works
URL: 10 Tips to Avoid Phishing
Scams
Week 10
Week 11
Crime Fighting:
Suggested Guest Speaker: Cold
Case Investigator
GoF: Ch 5.4 - 5.6
Technology and Work
GoF: Ch 6
Term paper due
URL: Internet Fraud Watch, includes
statistics on Internet fraud
Current Event # 3
URL: Is There Privacy in the
Workplace?
URL: Monitoring Employees at Work
Week 12
Evaluating and controlling
Technology
Suggested Guest Speaker:
Representative from a
development firm (hardware,
software, pharmaceuticals, etc.)
GoF: Ch 7
Assign #7 - Future of
Technology
URL: "Microsoft: Future homes to use
smart appliances, interactive
wallpaper"
URL: "As We May Live"
Week 13
Errors, Failures and Risk
Suggested Guest Speaker: Airline
pilot
GoF: Ch 8.1 - 8.2
Current Event # 4
Week 14
Errors, Failures and Risk cont.:
Therac-25 case study
GoF: Ch 8.3 - 8.4
Assign #8 - Therac-25 Mock
Trial
URL: Therac-25 Case Materials
Week 15
Professional Ethics and
Responsibilities
GoF: Ch 9
Week 16
Final Exam
GoF: Ch 5 - 9
Assign #9 - Ethics