Ethics in Information Technology // CIS4253

CIS4253 // The Warehouse Divergent Hub

CIS4253

Ethics in Information Technology

The houses teach you how. The Warehouse teaches you why.

5

Weeks

18

Modules

10

Activities

Governance

Domain

Warehouse Status: Course Progress

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Decision Path

0

Warehouse Orientation

ORIENTATION // REFRESHER

Refresher 3 modules

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Week 0 Progress 0 / 3

ORIENTATION // REFRESHER

Welcome to The Warehouse. There are no rules on the wall. You'll have to figure out why that matters.

Refresher Modules

Morals vs ethics vs law. Why the distinction matters in technology.

The Ethical Decision Framework

Utilitarian, deontological, virtue ethics, fairness.

Why Technology Needs Ethics

Historical cases where tech outpaced ethics.

1

Foundation: Ethics, Professionalism, Cybersecurity

WEEK 1 // CHAPTERS 1-3

Obj 1 Obj 2 Obj 3 4 modules + 3 activities

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Week 1 Progress 0 / 7

WEEK 1 // CHAPTERS 1-3

Before you can decide what's right, you need to understand what's at stake.

Modules

Overview of Ethics

Ch. 1 — Ethics definition, business ethics, CSR, VW emissions case.

Ethics for IT Professionals

Ch. 2 — Professional vs worker, codes of ethics, compliance, FCPA.

Cyberattacks and Cybersecurity Ethics

Ch. 3 — Ethical trade-offs in security, reasonable assurance, Sony hack case.

Week 1 Checkpoint

Ch. 1-3 — Quiz (10 questions) and case study analysis.

Activities

The Defeat Device

VW emissions scandal. Whistleblowing, corporate fraud, and ethical duty.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

The Sony Breach

Case Room investigation with evidence analysis and framework collision.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

The Snowden Files

Case Room investigation with evidence analysis and framework collision.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Presentations

Ethics Overview

Ethics definition, business ethics, CSR, moral frameworks

Ethics for IT Professionals

Professional obligations, codes of ethics, compliance

Cybersecurity Ethics

Security trade-offs, reasonable assurance, incident ethics

Assessment

Ethics overview, IT professionals, cybersecurity ethics

Lecture Companion

Ethics: The Hard Choices

Five frameworks anchored in pop-culture characters — Thanos, Cap, Iroh, the Avengers, Itachi, Walter White, Light, Homelander, Spider-Man. 50-min lecture deck with 3 in-class dilemmas.

2

Rights: Privacy, Expression, Property

WEEK 2 // CHAPTERS 4-6

Obj 4 Obj 5 Obj 6 4 modules + 3 activities

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Week 2 Progress 0 / 8

WEEK 2 // CHAPTERS 4-6

Your code runs on someone else's data, someone else's network, someone else's ideas. Who owns what?

Modules

Ch. 4 — Fourth Amendment, HIPAA, COPPA, FERPA, surveillance, ECPA, PATRIOT Act.

Freedom of Expression

Ch. 5 — First Amendment, CDA Section 230, defamation, DMCA takedowns.

Intellectual Property

Ch. 6 — Copyright, patents, trade secrets, open source, WIPO.

Week 2 Checkpoint + Midterm

Ch. 4-6 — Midterm exam (15% of grade) and case analysis.

Activities

Trade secret theft and intellectual property.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

The Tracking Order

Carpenter v. United States and 127 days of cell-site location data.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

The Speech Question

Section 230, algorithmic moderation, and a lawsuit over a downranked post.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Presentations

Fourth Amendment, HIPAA, COPPA, FERPA, surveillance

Freedom of Expression

First Amendment, CDA Section 230, defamation, DMCA

Intellectual Property

Copyright, patents, trade secrets, open source, WIPO

Assessment

Privacy, freedom of expression, intellectual property

Midterm Exam

Covers Weeks 1 and 2: Ch. 1-6

Lecture Companion

Week 2 Lecture: Rights Through the Lens

Three real cases (Waymo v. Uber, Carpenter v. US, Section 230) dissected through character/framework lenses — with in-class dual-lens assignment

3

Impact: Software Quality and Society

WEEK 3 // CHAPTERS 7-8

Obj 7 Obj 8 3 modules + 3 activities

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Week 3 Progress 0 / 5

WEEK 3 // CHAPTERS 7-8

You shipped the code. It worked. Someone got hurt. Whose fault is it?

Modules

Ethical Decisions in Software Development

Ch. 7 — Safety-critical systems, product liability, self-driving cars case.

IT Impact on Society

Ch. 8 — AI/ML workforce impact, digital divide, IBM Watson case.

Week 3 Checkpoint

Ch. 7-8 — Quiz and case study analysis.

Activities

The Autonomous Decision

Uber ATG and the death of Elaine Herzberg.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

IBM Watson for Oncology and clinical AI accountability.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Therac-25, the race condition, and six patients.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Presentations

Software Ethics

Safety-critical systems, product liability, ethical design

IT Impact on Society

AI/ML workforce impact, digital divide, productivity

Assessment

Software ethics, IT impact on society

Lecture Companion

Week 3 Lecture: When Code Reaches People

Three software-ethics cases (Therac-25, Boeing 737 MAX, COMPAS) dissected through character/framework lenses, with in-class dual-lens assignment

4

Society: Social Media, Organizations, Governance

WEEK 4 // CHAPTERS 9-10

Obj 9 Obj 10 Obj 11 4 modules + 4 activities + 1 capstone

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Week 4 Progress 0 / 6

WEEK 4 // CHAPTERS 9-10

The algorithm doesn't have ethics. The person who wrote it does.

Modules

Social Media Ethics

Ch. 9 — CDA Section 230, fake news, data harvesting, hiring practices.

Ethics of IT Organizations

Ch. 10 — Contingent workers, H-1B visas, outsourcing, gig economy, e-waste.

Codes of Ethics: ACM, IEEE, PMI, AITP

Appendices — Comparative analysis. Requirements, conflicts, and application.

Final Assessment

Ch. 1-10 — Comprehensive final exam (15% of grade).

Activities

Cambridge Analytica and the Facebook API.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

The Whistleblower

Frances Haugen and the Facebook Files.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Social media and privacy scenario.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Organizational ethics and whistleblowing scenario.

ACTIVITY CASE ROOM

Capstone: a compound-incident defense before the Ethics Committee. 75 min.

CAPSTONE CASE ROOM

Presentations

Social Media Ethics

CDA Section 230, fake news, data harvesting, platform accountability

Ethics of IT Organizations

Contingent workers, H-1B, outsourcing, gig economy, e-waste

Codes of Ethics: ACM, IEEE, PMI, AITP

Comparative analysis, requirements, conflicts, application

Final Exam

Comprehensive: Ch. 1-10, all objectives

R

Review Games: Game-Show Study Formats

REVIEW // ALL WEEKS

All Obj 4 review games

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Review Progress 0 / 4

REVIEW // GAME-SHOW FORMATS

Four classroom-ready game-show formats covering ethics frameworks, privacy law, IP, software ethics, and professional conduct. Instructor-led or solo play.

Review Games

Jeopardy Review

5x5 board: Ethical Frameworks, Privacy, IP, Software Liability, Whistleblowing + Daily Double

Wheel of Fortune Review

8 ethics concept phrases: spin, buy vowels, solve. Instructor-led projector format

5th Grader Review

11-question money ladder: $1K to $1M. PEEK / COPY / SAVE lifelines. $50K milestone lock

20 questions from all 3 weeks. Speed scoring, streak bonuses, host pause/skip controls

Course Objectives

Define ethics and distinguish it from morals and law within technology contexts
Distinguish IT professionals from other workers and identify their ethical obligations to employers, clients, and society
Analyze cybersecurity trade-offs: safeguarding data, reasonable assurance, and incident response ethics
Explain the right to privacy and apply relevant legal protections including HIPAA, FERPA, and the Fourth Amendment
Evaluate freedom of expression issues in IT including CDA Section 230, defamation, and DMCA
Identify intellectual property rights: copyright, patents, trade secrets, and open-source licensing
Apply ethical frameworks to software development quality, safety-critical systems, and product liability
Assess the impact of IT on productivity, workforce displacement, healthcare, and the digital divide
Analyze ethical issues in social networking: data harvesting, fake news, and platform accountability
Evaluate organizational ethics in IT: contingent workers, outsourcing, whistle-blowing, and green computing
Compare and apply professional codes of ethics from ACM, IEEE, PMI, and AITP