INLS 105, Information Ethics
Fall 2003

Assignments

Syllabus / Schedule / Discussion Forum (INLS105-001, 105) / Send Email to the Class / Class Roster

During the semester, each student will write one major paper, will write one scenario describing an ethical dilemma, will respond in writing to two such scenarios developed by other members of the class, and will participate actively in class, leading at least one class session. Each of these expectations is described in more detail below.

Major Paper (45%)

The major assignment is a paper, due at the end of the semester (noon, December 16). It may be any one of the following, or a specific project/paper proposed by the student and approved by the instructor:

• An integrative literature review on a particular ethical issue/case. The goal of this assignment is to analyze a particular ethical issue or case in depth. The student will identify and study the literature related to that issue or case. The review will integrate and critique the major points made in the literature.
• A review of a particular court case or set of cases with implications for information ethics. The goal of this assignment is similar to the previous alternative, but the focus of the review is on a particular legal case or set of related cases.
• A critical review of a current book related to topics discussed in the course. In addition to providing a recommendation concerning the quality of the book reviewed, the student should analyze the content of the book in relation to issues in information ethics. (The book to be reviewed must be at least 150 pages in length; a list of possible books is available for inspiration.)

In each case, there will be intermediate deliverables that are due throughout the semester.

For literature reviews, the following deliverables will be handed in for comment:

• A one-page proposal of the topic/question to be covered in the review (due September 25);
• An annotated bibliography of the documents to be included in the literature review (due October 14); and
• An outline of the major points of the review (due November 11).

For reviews of court cases, the following deliverables will be handed in for comment:

• A list of the case(s) to be reviewed (due September 25);
• An annotated bibliography of the other sources that will be used to review the case and its ethical implications (due October 14); and
• An outline of the ethical issues to be raised and discussed in the review (due November 11).

For book reviews, the following deliverables will be handed in for comment:

• The citation of the book to be reviewed (due September 25);
• An outline of the major points made in the book, or an extensive abstract of the book (due November 4); and
• An outline of the ethical issues raised by the book and to be discussed in the review (due November 13).

The major paper should be approximately 10-20 double-spaced pages. It will be evaluated, based on the following criteria: the quality (logic, depth, etc.) of the reasoning about ethical issues and the application of moral principles, clarity, and completeness. It is expected to be of publishable quality, and students are encouraged to prepare their papers in anticipation of submission for publication. The paper is due by noon on Tuesday, December 16.

Developing a Scenario Describing an Ethical Dilemma (15%)

Each student will be asked to develop one scenario describing an ethical dilemma. Throughout the course, we will be working with a variety of such scenarios, varying in length from a few sentences to a collection of articles. Each dilemma presents a realistic (or real) situation in which issues related to information ethics are raised.

Writing a scenario describing an ethical dilemma is like writing a story. It should be realistic, vivid, and fairly detailed. For the purposes of this assignment, it should raise one or more ethical issues for each of three or more actors within the story. It should conclude with a set of questions, outlining the ethical issues faced by each actor. It should be approximately 2 single-spaced pages in length.

It is anticipated that each student will choose to develop a scenario in his or her particular area of interest. Thus, the due dates will be associated with the scheduling of particular topics for discussion in the course. In general, the scenarios associated with a particular topic will be due one week after we have finished discussing the topic in class. Students may use the class discussion of a draft scenario, to get feedback concerning its clarity and effectiveness in raising ethical issues.

The scenarios written by students will be evaluated on the following criteria: realism, effectiveness in raising important ethical issues, clarity, and vividness.

Responding to Two Scenarios of Ethical Dilemmas (10% each)

Each student may respond to a scenario developed by another member of the class, or to one of the scenarios included on our reading lists. Two responses must be completed during the semester. Each response is due approximately one week after the issue raised by the scenario is discussed in class.

Responding to a scenario entails identifying and responding to the ethical issues faced by each actor in the scenario. For each actor, identify the ethical issues faced by that person. For each issue, state whether the person acted ethically and the basis for your judgment about the person's actions. If the scenario does not specify the actions taken (i.e., it specifies only the situation), then describe the possible actions that could be taken by each actor, state which are ethical, and why. Responses should be 2-3 single-spaced pages in length.

The responses will be evaluated on the following criteria: clear identification of the ethical issues raised, quality of reasoning about those issues and application of moral theories in that reasoning.

Class Participation (20%)

Each student will be expected to participate actively in the class. Each student is expected to participate in in-class and online discussion. In addition, each student will be expected to lead one or more class sessions of interest to him or her. The session leader will select appropriate readings (in consultation with the instructor), present an overview of the issues to be discussed, and lead a discussion or in-class exercise that will enable the class members to wrestle with the issue.

Class participation will be evaluated on the substance and quality of the student's comments, either in class or in the online discussion forum. Leadership of a class session will be evaluated on the following criteria: the student's demonstration of an in-depth understanding of the issue being discussed, and the student's ability to engage the class members in wrestling with that issue.

Syllabus / Schedule / Discussion Forum (INLS105-001, 105) / Send Email to the Class / Class Roster