On Teaching Computer Ethics within a Computer Science Department.

The author has surveyed a quarter of the accredited undergraduate computer science programs in the United States. More than half of these programs offer a "social and ethical implications of computing" course taught by a computer science faculty member, and there appears to be a trend toward teachin...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Science & Engineering Ethics Vol. 12; no. 2; pp. 335 - 344
Autor principal: Quinn, Michael J.
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Apr2006
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Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
Descripción
Sumario:The author has surveyed a quarter of the accredited undergraduate computer science programs in the United States. More than half of these programs offer a "social and ethical implications of computing" course taught by a computer science faculty member, and there appears to be a trend toward teaching ethics classes within computer science departments. Although the decision to create an "in house" computer ethics course may sometimes be a pragmatic response to pressure from the accreditation agency, this paper argues that teaching ethics within a computer science department can provide students and faculty members with numerous benefits. The paper lists topics that can be covered in a computer ethics course and offers some practical suggestions for making the course successful.