Who,
What, Where | Course
Goals | Course
Structure | Lecture
Themes
Guest
Lecturers | Course
Requirements | Tentative
Schedule
The Following Will Appear as Needed:
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Professor:
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Lab/Recitation Instructor:
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Replace (AT) or (DOT) with @ or . respectively in the e-mail addresses above.
Sorry for the inconvenience, but this helps to confuse Internet spamming
e-mail programs.
Lectures: Tuesday, Thursday,
Lab/Recitation Sections: Two one-hour sections, Friday,
Class Web Page: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~cse100
This course is intended to
1. Investigate the current and future political and economic impact of information technology on us as individuals and as citizens.
2. Demystify information technology by providing basic technical exposure to computers, the internet, and the World Wide Web so that students feel comfortable both in using information technology in their daily lives and in evaluating basic claims about new technology.
3. (Prepare students who so desire to go on comfortably to courses and further self study dealing with information technology and introductory programming.)
The course will consist of two largely independent components:
1. Lectures: The lectures (twice a week) will be organized into three units, with the first two providing a brief introduction to the technology (with the primary goal demystification), and each investigating societal and political implications and issues.
2. Labs/Recitations: (once a week) to strengthen technical understanding including both discussions and labs which will focus on computer fluency. The labs will develop an understanding of the workings of computers, the internet and the web. They will teach the design of simple web pages using the HTML language.
The lectures will develop three themes:
1. Privacy: Technology: Introduction to databases, computer security, public key cryptosystems. Implications: political, legal and economic aspects of privacy.
2. Intellectual property rights: Technology: Introduction to digital encoding and compression, psychophysics; more on encryption. Implications: Intellectual property rights, the economic impact of the web on business.
3. Future Shock: Since the birth of electronic computers (at Penn), computers have doubled in speed and density every 18 months. What are the implications of this?
We expect to have one or two guest lectures this semester. They will be announced as confirmed.
Required:
1.
2. Hillis. "The Pattern on the Stone." Basic Books, 1999.
3.
4.
Suggested:
1. Lawrence Lessig, Code and other laws of cyberspace, Basic Books, 1999.
2.
All books available at the
The course will require 3 five-six papers (one per unit). There will be two midterm exams (Oct 21 and Dec 4) and no final.
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DATE |
LECTURE TOPIC |
LECTURE NOTES |
REQUIRED
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Sept 4 |
Course overview |
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Sept 9 |
The architecture of cyberspace: Lessig I |
Lessig, The Laws of Cyberspace | |
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Sept 11 |
The architecture of cyberspace:
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Cyberethics, Chapter 2.
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Sept 12 |
Lab: How computers work I |
The Pattern on the Stone, Chapters 1, 2, and 3. | |
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Sept 16 |
What is the right to privacy? |
Cyberethics, Chapter 5. | |
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Sept 18 |
"The Right to Privacy," Warren & Brandeis/ Privacy of
Communications: |
Warren
& Brandeis, "The Right to Privacy" | |
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Sept 19 |
Lab: How computers work II |
The Pattern on the Stone, Chapters 4, 5, and 6. | |
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Sept 23 |
Communications: Balancing National Security and Privacy |
Privacy on the Line, Chapters 7 and 8. | |
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Sept 25 |
Technology: How does the internet work? |
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Sept 26 |
Recitation: |
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Sept 30 |
Eprivacy: Pen registers and Packets/Carnivore |
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TENTATIVE SYLLABUS | |||
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Oct 2 |
Technology: What areCookies? |
Elgesem, "The Structure of Rights in Directive
95/46/EC." | |
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Oct 3 |
Lab: Breaking simple ciphers |
The Code Book, Chapters 1 and 2. | |
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Oct 7 |
Technology: how do databases work? |
Database Nation, Chapter
4. | |
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Oct 9 |
Eprivacy: Access and ownership of personal data/Medical records/TIA |
Database Nation, Chapter 6. | |
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Oct 10 |
Lab: Microsoft Passport |
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Oct 14 |
FALL BREAK |
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Oct 16 |
Introduction to ciphers & cryptography |
The Code Book, Chapters 3 and 4. | |
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Oct 17 |
Lab: Web Pages & HTML I |
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Oct 21 |
MIDTERM EXAM!! |
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Oct 23 |
Public Key Cryptosystems |
The Code Book, Chapters 6 and
7. | |
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Oct 24 |
Lab: Using cryptography (PGP) |
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Oct 28 |
Copyright vs. Filesharing |
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Cyberethics , Chapter 4,
Part I |
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Oct 30 |
Patents, Copyright
& |
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Oct 31 |
Lab: Web Pages & HTML II |
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Nov 4 |
Digital encoding: perfect copies! |
Cyberethics, Chapter 4, Part 2. | |
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Nov 6 |
Digital Millennium Copyright
Act: NO copies |
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Nov 7 |
Recitation: Is File Sharing
OK? |
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Nov 11 |
MP-3 encoding: fast copies! |
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Nov 13 |
File Sharing Technology I |
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Nov 14 |
Lab: A taste of Javascript |
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Nov 18 |
File Sharing Technology II |
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Nov 20 |
Online Communities I |
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Nov 21 |
Lab: Wikipedia |
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Nov 25 |
Online Communities II |
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Nov 26 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK |
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Nov 27 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK |
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Dec 2 |
Artificial Intelligence &
imago hominis: GUEST SPEAKER |
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Dec 4 |
IN-CLASS SECOND MIDTERM EXAM!!! |
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Dec 5 |
Lab: Catchup |
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