General Topic Categories and sample
issues
CSC 302
Turner
*Note: you are encouraged to find a topic related to your own major (or
other area of expertise). I am wide open to topics that appear
marginally related to Computers and Society if you can argue the
connection to me. Do not consider this an exhaustive list, it is
just a suggestion.
Freedom of Speech on the Internet
- Should certain material on the Internet be censored?
- Should internet access be restricted in libraries and schools?
- Are there limits to rights to free speech if it violates
community standards of decency?
- Should spam e-mail be regulated or illegal? Is spam
protected under freedom of speech?
- Should individuals be prohibited from anonymous postings (or
"chatting") on the internet?
- Should gambling be prohibited on the internet?
Intellectual Property
- How to balance needs for distribution of artistic works with
rights of authors to protect their intellectual property?
- Music and movie downloading
- Software piracy
Privacy and Personal Information
- How to balance individual right to privacy with government desire
for surveillance
- Crime fighting versus privacy and civil liberties
- Consumer Information and marketing databases
- Access vs privacy of public records (e.g., sex offenders)
- National ID systems
- RFID systems
Computer Crime
- hacking and viruses
- fraud, forgery, embezzlement
- identity theft
Risks - can we trust the computer
- Are computers reliable and secure for the tasks which they are
responsible for?
- Should software developers be licensed?
- Electronic voting
- online dating
- Digital manipulation of photos, music, etc. e.g. fashion
model photos
- Medical diagnosis, surgery, etc.
Computers in the workplace
- Job destruction. (E.g., grocery self-check)
- deskilling
- E.g., Voice response customer service
- Telecommuting
- Employee monitoring
- health issues
Computers and education
- Is the convenience of online education worth the lack of
classroom experience?
- Does computer mediated instruction actually produce better
learning?
General Social Issues
- Do computers really make us more productive?
- Are we too dependent on computers?
- Do computers make people lazy?
- Is the internet creating people who are narrow, isolated and
unsocial?
- Is the internet destroying communities?
- Is e-commerce bad for local economies?
- Are violent computer games bad for children?
- Do we overrely on "infallible" computers (e.g. internet sources
of information).
- Do we abdicate our responsibility to exercise judgement and let
computers make decisions for us?
- Is the digital divide increasing the wealth gap, employment gap,
etc.
- Does computer use hinder cognitive/emotional development?
- Is computer obsolecence an unsustainable economic model?
- Do computers contribute to the destruction of the natural
environment?
- Do computers benefit big business disproportionately to
individuals?
- Do computer technologies distract us from real social problems
(poverty, racism, crime, health care, etc.)?
- Do we create computer products simply because the technology
exists rather than because it meets a real need?
- Are computer technologies "dehumanizing" our society?