Computers and Society
Lecture 1:
administrative details and an
introduction to the class
Professor: Evan Korth
New York University
Road Map for Today
Administrative details
 Why are you here?
 Why I am here
 Course overview
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Administrative Matters
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Course Web Site
Course web site is available at:
http://www.cs.nyu.edu/courses/spring06/V22.0001001/index.html
Web site contains the following information:
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Administrative information
Course Syllabus
Homework assignments
Class notes
Class resources
Link to the class mailing list
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Class mailing list
First assignment is to join it. Do it today!
 Go to:
http://cs.nyu.edu/mailman/listinfo/v22_0001_001_s
p06
and follow the instructions
 All assignments and news will be sent to the
class list
 Homework questions should be sent to the list
and answered by students when possible.
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Course Books
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Since this class will evolve throughout the
semester, I do not want to assign all the books
now.
I ask that you budget $100 for texts for this class.
The first book you will need to purchase is:
– Code and Other Laws Of
Cyberspace
By Lawrence Lessig
– ISBN: 046503912X
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Grading
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Your grade will be determined as follows:
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Midterm (20%)
Class participation (10%)
Homework (possible quizzes) (40%)
Final Exam (30%)
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Your final will be an oral exam
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homework
Ten points will be deducted for each class day late, with a
possible maximum of 30 points being deducted.
Homeworks will not be accepted after the third class following its
due date.
Submit the homework via email to the grader (more on this later)
For you own good you must back up all your work. Computer
crashes or lost programs are not valid excuses for not handing in
an assignment.
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A Word About Cheating
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For the purposes of this class, cheating is defined
as:
– Copying all or part of another student's
homework, project or exam.
– Allowing another student to copy all or part
of your homework, project, or exam.
– Discussing homework concepts is fine, but
you must submit your own work.
If you are caught cheating, you will receive an
immediate FAILURE for the course.
See the CS Departments statement on Academic
Integrity.
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Student Civility
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In an effort to make this class enjoyable for
everybody…
– Please be on time to class!
– Please do not talk to your friends and
neighbors in class! It disturbs everyone, and
makes it hard to concentrate. If you have a
question, just ask me!
– Please turn your pagers and cell-phones off!
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Getting Help
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Help is always available!
Option 1: Come to my Office Hours
– Monday, 5:00 – 6:00; Tuesday 2:00 3:00; Thursday, 2:00 – 3:00 (I may
change the time of my office hours)
– Location: Room 419 Warren Weaver
Hall
– I get bored when nobody visits!
– If you cannot make my office hours, I
will be happy to make an appointment
with you. Please try to give me
advance warning when you need an
appointment.
Option 2: Write to the class mailing list.
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Why are you here?
Why I am here?
Introduction
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Course Prerequisites
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Prerequisites:
– None (Really)
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Who should be taking this course:
– Students interested in the issues relating to technology
(specifically computers) and society.
– Students who feel comfortable speaking in class and
are not afraid to work out their thoughts in a public
forum.
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Course Description
This course will address the impact of the
digital computer on individuals,
organizations and modern society as a
whole, and the social, political, legal,
economical and ethical issues involved in
the computer industry.
 Topics will change to reflect changes in
technology and current events.
 Guest lecturers from various fields will be
invited to speak in class.
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Course Description (part 2)
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Topics could include:
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The history of computing
Information overload / data explosion
Encryption
Anonymity on the internet
Privacy
Security
Hacking: vandalism, trespass and theft
Computers in the workplace
Computers and education
Outsourcing
The computer's effects on how we communicate with each other
and our relationships
Intellectual property: technological and legal issues, governance,
regulation and policy of technologies
warfare / National security issues
Computer crime
Reliability of large systems and potential dangers
Course Structure
Part 1: Introduction and framework to
think about the issues
 Part 2: History of computers and terms and
concepts we need to discuss the issues
 Part 3: Specific issues
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– Guest lecturers
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Part 4: Pull it together and look to the
future
Current events
This course will be flexible enough to
accommodate current events.
 Everyday front pages of popular
newspapers run stories which relate to the
topics covered in this class. You should be
aware of the top stories.
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