Software Engineering 3J03: Software and Social Responsibility

Course outline, 2003 January 29

1. Instructor

Dr.-Ing. Robert L. Baber
Office: ITC-168, telephone extension: 27874
Email: Baber@McMaster.CA
Office hours: Tuesdays 10.30-11.30 and 15.30-16.30 or by appointment or when available

2. Course Structure

Two 50-minute lectures/discussions/seminars weekly: Wednesdays, 8.30-9.20 and Fridays 10.30-11.20
One two hour seminar/discussion/tutorial/lecture weekly: Fridays, 14.30-16.20

Individually or in small groups (2 or 3) students will investigate topics selected from a given list or suggested by the student and approved by the instructor. Each will then write (individually) a research paper or deliver orally a formal presentation of their results. In order to make time available for the preparatory research, the early part of the term will be used mainly for lectures and class discussions. The student presentations will be given in the latter part of the term. Because of time restraints, the number of oral presentations will be limited.

3. Teaching Assistants

Teaching assistants are available to advise students and for assessing the research reports and presentations, tests, etc.

4. Prerequisite and Corequisite Knowledge

Prerequisites: SFWR ENG 2B03/4, 3G03
Corequisite: SFWR ENG 3B04

5. Calendar Description

Historical development of engineers’ social responsibility and ethical codes. Societal control of technological change. Social effects of automation. Information security and privacy. Software in safety-critical applications and law enforcement.

6. Mission

The mission of this course is to make students aware of the role of engineers in society and their professional and social responsibilities. The historical evolution of engineering legislation and codes of ethics is examined in order to equip the students to make conscious, logical, ethical decisions about their future work. This general engineering context provides a basis for considering the role and responsibilities of software engineers in particular. Emphasis will be placed on computerised information, communications and control systems. Issues such as privacy, data integrity, intellectual property rights for software and algorithms and data security will be examined.

The course investigates the role of software and other technologies in the broader social context and the issues and interrelationships that arise from the many ways in which modern society has become dependent on technology. Students must understand the potentially serious consequences of faulty products and the responsibilities of their designers to their users. They will become aware of the varied criteria for judging the quality of a system which derive from the complex relationships between technology and society.

7. Objectives

The students will be able

to identify different and conflicting aspects of the application of specific technologies to social needs,
to identify and understand the legitimate arguments for and against each side of such issues,
to apply this knowledge when faced with ethical questions arising in their own future engineering practice (e.g. when should the engineer say "no"?, whether or not to "blow the whistle", etc.) and
to apply such concepts to avoid or minimize conflicts of interest in engineering practice.

In summary, the student will understand the nature of the engineer’s responsibility today, its historical background, similarities and differences in different countries and the reasons for the engineer’s obligations as currently set by society, e.g. through legislation.

8. Grading

The grade for the course will be made up of the grades for the following components weighted as follows:

25% research project
25% two tests during the term
45% the final examination
5% assignments, critiques of other students' presentations and class participation

The assignments will include preparing short summaries and critiques of the presentations by other students to be handed in at the end of the class in which each presentation is given.

In some cases students will work in pairs on the research projects. One student will write the research project report. The other student will write a review of the draft of the report and present the results to the entire class. The first student will be graded on the final written report. The second student will be graded on both the written review and on the presentation. About 15-20 students will give presentations in class. The written review will be submitted both to the course instructor and to the author of the report, who may revise the first draft accordingly. See schedule below. Some students will work individually on the research projects, in which case the result of the project will be either a written report or a presentation.

The tests and the final examination will include material from lectures, class discussions and the students' presentations.

9. Literature

The primary text for this course is

Johnson, Deborah G., Ethical Issues in Engineering, Prentice Hall, 1991

The secondary text for this course is

Harms, A. A., Engineering in Time, Custom Courseware for Software Engineering 3J03, McMaster University Bookstore, 2002

Every student should have convenient and independent access to both of these works. It is suggested that either (1) each student acquire both books or (2) students pair up, purchase both books and share them.

Other recommended literature of relevance to this course is:

Andrews, Gordon C. and Kemper, John D., Canadian Professional Engineering Practice and Ethics, second edition, Harcourt Brace & Company, Toronto, 1999
Baber, Robert L., Software Reflected: the Socially Responsible Programming of Our Computers, North-Holland Publishing Co., Amsterdam, 1982.
de Camp, L. Sprague, The Ancient Engineers, Ballantine Books, New York, 1974
Marston, D. L., Law for Professional Engineers: Canadian and International Perspectives, third edition, McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, Toronto, 1996

10. Schedule

The following is an overall schedule for this semester. Detailed reading assignments will be announced in class and on the course web site as required.

January 8 Wednesday: Introduction to this course, the research projects, grading rules, etc.
January 24 Friday: research topic preferences due *
January 29 Wednesday: final assignment of research topics
February 12 Wednesday: test 1
February 26 Wednesday: drafts of written research reports due
March 5 Wednesday: written reviews of research reports due
March 12 Wednesday: written research reports due
March 21 Friday: test 2
April 4 Friday: Last class

* Students not submitting their research topic preferences by January 24 will be assigned topics.

Lectures and class discussions will cover material from the references listed above and as outlined in the sections on Mission and Objectives above. Several major engineering failures and near failures will be examined and compared with a view to understanding the reasons for the actions taken, possible alternatives and the implications for software engineering in the future.

11. Notes

Discrimination

"The Faculty of Engineering is concerned with ensuring an environment that is free of all adverse discrimination. If there is a problem that cannot be resolved by discussion among the persons concerned, individuals are reminded that they should contact their Department Chair, the Sexual Harrassment/Anti-Discrimination Officer (SHADO), as soon as possible." Academic Dishonesty "Students are reminded that they should read and comply with the Statement on Academic Ethics and the Senate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty as found in the Senate Policy Statements distributed at registration and available in the Senate Office." The documents referred to above (the Statement on Academic Ethics and the Senate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty) are also available online at
http://www.mcmaster.ca/senate/academic/acadeth.htm and http://www.mcmaster.ca/senate/academic/academic.htm.

All students in 3J03 are expected to have read and understood the above documents. Any violation of the regulations contained therein will be pursued in accordance with university procedures.

In particular, students are reminded that

any material copied from any source whatsoever (including but not limited to the internet) must be enclosed in quotation marks and the source cited at the point of use in the body of the text and
any material paraphrased or ideas taken from any source whatsoever (including but not limited to the internet) must be identified as such and the source(s) cited at the point of use in the body of the text.

See in particular the examples in Appendix A of the document http://www.mcmaster.ca/senate/academic/acadeth.htm#PLAG.

Failure to do so will be considered and treated as academic dishonesty. No leniency will be shown in such cases.

In order to ensure fairness to the majority of students who abide by the above regulations on academic dishonesty, reports submitted by all students will be processed by a plagarism prevention and detection system such as turnitin.com. This procedure will also help all students to learn and understand how to implement the above regulations on academic dishonesty and the similar expectations and requirements that will be placed on them and their written work in their future professional careers.

The Undergraduate Council has approved the following text regarding the use of such plagarism prevention and detection systems for inclusion in course outlines:

“Academic dishonesty consists of misrepresentation by deception or by other fraudulent means. One kind of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, i.e., the submission of work that is not one’s own or for which previous credit has been obtained. Students must acknowledge any ideas, facts or passages from another author by proper notation. Academic Integrity is essential at McMaster University and academic dishonesty can result in serious consequences, i.e., the grade of zero on an assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript, and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
McMaster University uses various methods to check for dishonesty, including a software package designed to reveal plagiarism. Students may be required to submit their work electronically so that it can be checked for plagiarism.”