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Social and Environmental Aspects of Information Technology (ASAI)

Credits Dept.
7.5 (6.0 ECTS) CS

Instructors

Person in charge:  (-)
Others:(-)

General goals

In this subject, students study the environmental and social effects and impact of information technology, its history and the legislation that affects it. All the while, they should not overlook ethical requirements and professional ethics. The generic character of the subject matter and the practical impossibility of addressing the field in its entirety also mean that students must be able to make critical readings of the diverse range of general texts covered in the subject.

Specific goals

Knowledges

  1. The social and environmental impact of science and technology with particular reference to computing and problems of sustainable development.
  2. Legal issues arising from the use of computing, the legislation in force and its impact: LPDP, LSSIce, software copyright protection, etc.
  3. Ethical issues and codes of practice in the computing field, the impact of computing on the environment, and the issue of sustainable development in today"s world.
  4. An overall vision of the history of computing within the context of the history of science and technology, specific aspects of hardware and software and the people and companies that played a key role in the development of the computing industry.
  5. Ability to critically read texts on computing, its impact and history.

Abilities

  1. Ability to reflect on the social and environmental impact of computing and one"s future career as a computer specialist.
  2. Knowing how to critically read articles and books on computing, its history and social and environmental impact.
  3. Knowing how to write essays on computing and its social impact.
  4. Knowing how to make public presentations on the historic, social and environmental aspects of computing.

Competences

  1. Reflection and the ability to study and analyze problems.
  2. Critical spirit.
  3. Oral and written communication.

Contents

Estimated time (hours):

T P L Alt Ext. L Stu A. time
Theory Problems Laboratory Other activities External Laboratory Study Additional time

1. Society and technological change
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
3,0 0 0 0 0 6,0 0 9,0
1.1 Cičncia i tecnologia
1.2 El procés del canvi tecnolōgic
1.3 La difusiķ de la tecnologia
1.4 La tecnologia i els seus creadors
1.5 Les organitzacions i el canvi tecnolōgic
1.6 El control de la tecnologia

2. The social impact de computing
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
3,0 6,0 0 0 0 6,0 10,0 25,0
2.1 La "revoluciķ" de les infotecnologies
2.2 Efectes socials i econōmics de la informatitzaciķ
- de la manufactura a la producciķ de coneixements
- informātica, treball i ocupaciķ
- altres efectes: ensenyament, sanitat, lleure, etc.
2.3 Informaciķ, propietat i control social
2.4 Macroergonomia: interacciķ social entre usuaris
2.5 Microergonomia: fisiologia i psicologia en la relaciķ Persona/Ordinador
  • Other extra activities:
    Reading and critical review of a book on the social and/or environmental impact of computing
    (affecting the following contents: 1-5, inclusive)

3. ICT's environmental impact
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
2,0 4,0 0 0 0 4,0 0 10,0
3.1 Informātica i medi ambient
3.2 La problemātica dels residus informātics
3.3 Informātica i sustenibilitat

4. The computing professional: ethics and duties
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
2,0 6,0 0 0 0 4,0 4,0 16,0
4.1 La professiķ informātica
4.2 Subjectes i agents de responsabilitat en informātica
4.3 Etica i deontologia professional en informātica
4.4 Codis deontolōgics d'informātica
  • Other extra activities:
    Students will produce a brief report giving their views on the ethical issues raised by a given case before discussing it in class. Each student must submit a report on SIX cases.

5. Computing Law: the legislation affecting computing professionals
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
2,0 12,0 0 0 0 4,0 4,0 22,0
5.1 Informātica i dret: fraus i delictes informātics
5.2 La protecciķ jurídica de les dades personals (LPDP)
5.3 La protecciķ jurídica del software
5.4 Les lleis sobre Internet (LSSIce)
5.5 La contractaciķ electrōnica i els documents electrōnics
5.6 La transferčncia electrōnica de dades i diners
5.7 Els contractes informātics

6. General history of computing
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
2,0 14,0 0 10,0 0 6,0 4,0 36,0
6.1 L'especificitat dels estudis d'histōria de la informātica
6.2 Antecedents histōrics
- Les calculadores mecāniques i analōgiques
- els projectes de C. Babbage
- les tabuladores
6.3 Els proto-ordinadors electromecānics
6.4 Els primers ordinadors electrōnics: l'arquitectura Von Neumann
6.5 - Els ordinadors de la informātica clāssica
6.6 - Evoluciķ de la tecnologia i del software
6.7 - Mini i microinformātica
6.8 - Histōria de la informātica a Espanya
  • Other activities:
    Reading and critical review of a book on the history of computing
    (affecting the following contents: 6 and 7)
  • Other extra activities:
    At the beginning of the term, a list of names, machines and programmes will be drawn up. Each student will be assigned THREE items from the list. Students will individually produce a file containing the most important historical data and descriptions for each of the assigned items. Full reference to the source of the information must be made (books, articles, and page numbers, etc.).

7. Detailed aspects of computing history
T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
0 14,0 0 0 0 10,0 0 24,0
7.1 - Histōries temātiques (llenguatges de programaciķ, bases de dades, sistemes operatius, intel.ligčncia artificial, telemātica, etc.)
7.2 - Histōries de persones (Babbage, Turing, Eckert y Mauchly, etc.)
7.3 - Histōries d'empreses (IBM, Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, etc.)


Total per kind T      P      L      Alt    Ext. L Stu    A. time Total 
14,0 56,0 0 10,0 0 40,0 22,0 142,0
Avaluation additional hours 8,0
Total work hours for student 150,0

Docent Methodolgy

The course comprises 7.5 credits (five hours of class each week in a 13 or 14-week term). The sessions could be split as follows:







- Three sessions a week, with:



A- an hour for teacher presentations



B- two hours on computing history (student assignments)



C- two hours on the "social impact" of computing(student assignments)







Section "A" sessions will take the form of lectures and will employ co-operative learning systems for tackling: the social and environmental impact of computing; ethics and best practices; and general legal aspects(Contents 1-2-3-4 and 5).







Section "B" sessions will take the form of lectures in the first three or four weeks in whch the teacher will give an introduction to the history of computing (Content 6). This will allow at least four weeks for students to begin preparing their work on specific aspects of computing history (Content 7). The results will be presented in class during the last weeks of term.







The first three or four weeks of the Section "C" sessions will be spent on showing documentaries, which will be followed by a class debate. This will allow at least four weeks for students to begin preparing their work on: the social and environmental impact of computing; professional ethics and best practices; and general legal aspects. The results will be presented in class during the last weeks of term.

Evaluation Methodgy

Students must have met the course requirements by submitting two essays and two reviews in order to receive a course grade.
The weighings given in the final evaluation are as follows:

15% - work on and class presentation of the themes covered in Contents 1-2-3-4 and 5 (social impact and environmental impact of computing, and on legal and ethical aspects).
15% - work on and class presentation of the themes covered in Contents 6 and 7 (history of computing).
10% - reading and review of a book on computing history.
10% - reading and review of a book on the social and environmental impact of computing, or on ethical or legal aspects of computing.
40% - final exam.
10% - other items considered for evaluation purposes: attendance of practical classes, ethics cases, history files, co-operative learning performance, etc.

Basic Bibliography

  • Santiago Riera Tučbols Més enllā de la cultura tecnocientífica, Edicions 62, 1994.
  • Paul E. Ceruzzi A History of modern computing, MIT Press, 1998.
  • BARCELO, Miquel Una histōria de la Informātica, Editorial UOC, 2008.
  • BARCELO, Miquel Informātica, societat i medi ambient (a "Aula d'Ecologia: Cicle de Conferčncies 2007"), Publicacions de la UAB - Cičncia i Tčcnica, 35, 2008.
  • QUINN, Michael J. Ethics for the Information Age, Pearson-Addison Wesley, 2005.

Complementary Bibliography

  • SEGALLER, Stephen Nerds 2.0.1. : a brief history of the Internet, TV Books, 1999.
  • Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray Computer : a history of the information machine, Basic Books, 1996.
  • Rudi Volti Society and technological change, St. Martin's Press, 1995.
  • David Elliott Energy, society, and environment : technology for a sustainable future, Routledge, 1997.
  • Manuel Castells La Era de la informaciķn : economía, sociedad y cultura, Alianza,, 1996.
  • Deborah G. Johnson Computer ethics, Prentice-Hall, 1994.
  • DE GEORGE, Richard T. The Ethics of Information Technology and Business, Blackwell Publishing, 2003.
  • MULDER, Karel, editor Desarrollo Sostenible para Ingenieros, Edicions UPC - Politext 172, 2007.
  • BARCELO, Miquel La revoluciķ de les Infotecnologies (a "10 impactes de la cičncia del segle XX"), EUMO (Vic), 2000.
  • RIBA, Carles Recursos energčtics i crisi, Iniciativa Digital Politčcnica, 2011.

Web links

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Previous capacities

Interest in computing, its impact and history


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