CS 29000 • Spring 2013 • Tue/Thu 4:30-5:45 • Lawson Computer Science Bldg (Room TBD)

Instructor: Robert Cutler • rcutler@purdue.edu

Overview:

With the advent of the internet, the increased use of mobile computing devices, the ubiquitous deployment of sensors, and widespread interconnectivity, the world has changed drastically. Computing devices of all shapes and sizes track what music we listen to, which websites we visit, what topics we’re interested in, how fast we drive, what classes we take, what we buy, and who our friends are. In this digital world, databases store our location, our health, our finances, and our preferences for just about everything.

Our reliance on computing devices for communication, entertainment, recommendations, information, and to help us with myriad tasks ranging from paying our bills to organizing our schedules to keeping in touch with each other has changed society. Soon (if not already), computers will drive our cars, cook our meals, and manage our lives. But they may also deny us health insurance, keep us from gainful employment, and stifle our freedoms. As we collect and use data in unprecedented ways, we need to be thinking about both the short-term and long-term effects of what we are doing.

Throughout this course, we look at the impacts and implications of computers and computing on us – both as individuals and as a society. The issues we examine are not necessarily new; they often existed long before computers and the internet. However, technology can magnify the ramifications of the issues in question; serving as an amplifier to make the effects much more pronounced.

When we’re done, we may not end up with a lot of answers, but we’ll at least know some of the questions we should be asking.

Instructor:

• Robert Cutler, rcutler@purdue.edu
  Office hours by appointment (please email)

One take-home message of the course is that the Internet and social computing have significantly altered the way new content is generated and distributed. To experience this first-hand, students will use several collaborative technologies (Google Docs, Blogger, and DokuWiki) for completing homework assignments.

The course work consists of three components:

1. Class attendance and participation: required. (30% of grade)
2. Weekly Blogging and Online Discussion: writing summaries responding to discussion topics (50% of grade)
   1. A topic will be posted Monday night in Blackboard.
   2. You write 4-5 paragraphs (in Blackboard), taking a position pro or con, and supporting your position with a coherent argument and at least three references (use MLA style citations). Due Friday, 11:59pm.
   3. You write a 1-2 paragraph rebuttal on each of two student blogs, critically analyzing and refuting all or part of their arguments. Due Sunday, 11:59pm.
3. Final essay and presentation: 2-page essay and 15 minute summary presentation on a relevant topic (20% of grade)

B2B is the free book Blown to Bits: Blown to Bits. Other reading will be assigned as the course progresses.