Course Syllabus

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Course Goals:

CS408 (Living in a Networked World) is an introductory course that explores the implications of living in a networked world. The course surveys the fundamental technologies and practices that make up the Internet and then asks the students to examine the ramifications of using the technologies. Users of the technologies should understand the technology in order to make educated decisions about how to use it safely and effectively. Students have the opportunity to self-publish by using various current technologies including blogs, discussion boards, email and by creating web pages using Drupal.

Class Times:

  • Section 01: MW 2:10 pm - 3:30 pm in Kingsbury N113.
  • Section 02: MW 3:40 pm - 5:00 pm in Kingsbury N113.

Students with Disabilities: The University is committed to providing students with documented disabilities equal access to all university programs and facilities. If you are a student with a documented disability or believe you may have a disability that requires accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at 201 Smith Hall . Accommodation letters are created by SAS with the student. Please follow-up with your instructor as soon as possible to ensure timely implementation of the identified accommodations in the letter. Faculty have an obligation to respond once they receive official notice of accommodations from SAS, but are under no obligation to provide retroactive accommodations.

Students Experiencing Emotional or Mental Health Distress: Your academic success in this course is very important to me. If, during the semester, you find emotional or mental health issues are affecting that success, please contact the University’s Counseling Center (http://www.unh.edu/pacs/). They are located on the 3rd floor of Smith Hall and can be contacted at (603) 862-2090/TTY: 7-1-1. They provide counseling appointments and other mental health services.

Classroom Behavior Expectations: To ensure a climate of learning for all, disruptive or inappropriate behavior (repeated outbursts, disrespect for the ideas of others, etc) may result in exclusion (removal) from this class. As a reminder, cell phone/pda, etc. use, including text messaging, is not permitted in this class by Faculty Senate rule unless by instructor permission. (2009, Behavioral Intervention Team)

Confidentiality and Mandatory Reporting: The University of New Hampshire and its faculty are committed to assuring a safe and productive educational environment for all students and for the university as a whole. The university requires faculty members to report to the university’s Title IX Coordinator (Donna Marie Sorrentino, dms@unh.edu, 603-862-2930/1527 TTY) any incidents of sexual violence and harassment shared by students. If you wish to speak to a confidential support service provider who does not have this reporting responsibility because their discussions with clients are subject to legal privilege, you can find a list of resources here (privileged confidential service providers/resources). For more information about what happens when you report, how the university considers your requests for confidentiality once a report is made to the Title IX Coordinator, your rights and report options at UNH (including anonymous report options) please visit (student reporting options).

Grading:

Individual assignments will be evaluated by the instructor and feedback given, but grades in the course will be based on student self-assessment in collaboration with the instructor. You can check your current submissions and feedback for the course on Canvas. Assignments will have feedback entered within 3 weeks after the deadline, though many will be entered much sooner. Written feedback will be given via rubrics, and numeric feedback on a 0-3 scale will be given to indicate completion of required criteria.

0: No work submitted / meets no required criteria
1: Does not meet required criteria
2: Meets most criteria but not all
3: Meets or exceeds all criteria

These scores will not be used as an average, but provide information that you can use to assess yourself and revise your work. Any coursework with a score of 0 or 1 must be revised to meet the required criteria, and those revisions should be documented on the final assessment. If you fail to revise more than 3 items with a score of 0 or 1 by the end of the semester, you will not receive credit for the course. Your final grade will be assigned based on your final self-assessment after meeting with the instructor at the end of the semester. You must reserve and attend one of the conference time slots at the end of the semester to be assigned a final grade.

Text Book: (required, both available free digitally)

Living in a Networked World
Compiled/Edited by: Sofia Lemons
Available in HTML format. Other formats upon request.

Drupal 7: The Essentials, First EditionD7BookCover 280.jpg
By: Johan Falk
Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2011
ISBN: 978-1463659714
Available at the UNH bookstore, Durham Book Exchange, Amazon, and online free via the Drupal Community Documentation.

Instructor:

  • Office: Kingsbury W235
  • Office Phone: 862-2617
    Note: The best way to leave a message is e-mail; you can use the office phone to determine if I am in my office.
  • Computer Science Office: Kingsbury N229
  • Computer Science Office Phone: 862-3778
  • Office Hours:
    • Mon/Wed 10:00-11:00AM
    • Friday by appointment

Discussion:

Make sure to review the course Discussion Page to learn the discussion guidelines and goals for in-class discussions. Check the Reading Assignment Numbers page to find out which readings you have been assigned.

Course Schedule (subject to change):

WEEK 1
Monday
08/26/19		 Welcome
  Slides: Introduction
  Reference: Good:
Bad: Ugly:
Wednesday
08/28/19		 Internet History
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 1.1-1.4
  2. History of the Internet: Part 1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UStbvRnwmQ)
  3. Vanity Fair: How the Web Was Won (https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/07/internet200807)
Guiding Questions:
  • What were the values and goals behind the creation of the Internet?
Reference:
WEEK 2
Monday
09/02/19		 NO CLASS (Labor Day)
Wednesday
09/04/19		 Internet History - cont.
  Reading:
  1. The True Story of the Internet - Browser Wars (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQwCx-Ey6x8)
  2. Living in a Networked World, 1.8-1.9
  3. History of the Internet: Part II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CsPHKJWiw0)
Guiding Questions:
  • Why was the world-wide web so important, and what was its impact on other technology?
  Reference:
Friday
09/06/19		 Due: Assignment 1
WEEK 3
Monday
09/09/19		 Internet History - cont.
  Reading:
  1. History of the Internet: Part II (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CsPHKJWiw0)
  2. Dot What? (http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2015/05/icann_transition_the_interesting_history_of_the_internet_domain_name_system.html)
  3. Living in a Networked World, 1.5-1.7
Guiding Questions:
  • How did the internet expand beyond the original government infrastructure, and how did that expansion change the internet?
Reference:
Due:
 		Final Project book selection
Wednesday
09/11/19		 Community & Identity
Slides: Web Overview & HTML
Chapter 2
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 2.1-2.2
  2. Introduction to Web Accessibility (http://webaim.org/intro/)
  3. Web Accessibility: Why Should We Care? (8:27) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIRx3RJzbZg)
Guiding Questions:
  • What are the practices behind and benefits of web accessibility?
  Due:

Chapter 1 Assessment available until 09/11/19 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Friday
09/13/19		 Due: Blog Entry 1
WEEK 4
Monday
09/16/19		 Community & Identity - cont.
Slides: Chapter 2
  Reading:
  1. Smartphones Bridging the Digital Divide (http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2013/06/10/190415432/census-smartphones-bridging-digital-divide)
  2. Living in a Networked World, 2.3
  3. The Digital Divide is Still Leaving Americans Behind (http://mashable.com/2013/08/18/digital-divide/#19CHuiLNV5qW)
Guiding Questions:
  • What are the causes and effects of the digital divide?
  Reference:
Wednesday
09/18/19		 Community & Identity - cont.
  Reading:
  1. Unmasking One of the Internet's Biggest Trolls (http://www.npr.org/2012/10/18/163109373/unmasking-one-of-the-internets-biggest-trolls) (content note: sexism, pedophilia, voyeurism)
  2. Living in a Networked World, 2.4 (content note: bullying, harassment, suicide)
  3. The Only Guide to Gamergate You Will Ever Need to Read (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2014/10/14/the-only-guide-to-gamergate-you-will-ever-need-to-read/) (content note: sexism, harassment, threats)
Guiding Questions:
  • How should we define the boundaries of trolling and harassment online, and what should be done when those boundaries are crossed?
Reference:
Friday
09/20/19		 Due: Assignment 2 due
Blog Entry 2
WEEK 5
Monday
09/23/19		 Community & Identity - cont.
  Reading:
  1. What is Black Twitter? (http://www.cnn.com/videos/entertainment/2015/08/03/what-is-black-twitter-social-media-lisa-france-orig.cnn)
  2. A Hot Trend: The Internet, Social Media & The Elderly (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/anita-kamiel-rn-mps/older-people-social-media_b_9191178.html)
  3. Living in a Networked World, 2.5
Guiding Questions:
  • How can the internet enable new kinds of community where there may have previously been a lack of connection?
  Reference:
Wednesday
09/25/19		 Privacy & Data Gathering (slides)
  Reading:
  1. Why online privacy matters — and how to protect yours (https://ideas.ted.com/why-online-privacy-matters-and-how-to-protect-yours/)
  2. Taking Down Bigots With Their Own Weapons Is Sweet, Satisfying — And Very, Very Wrong (https://medium.com/matter/actually-it-s-about-ethics-in-doxxing-1651b3deac77)
  3. The Ethics of Doxing Nazis (http://www.digitalethics.org/essays/ethics-doxing-nazis)
Guiding Questions:
  • What responsibilities do internet users have toward each other's privacy, and toward their own?
  Reference:
Due: Chapter 2 Assessment due 09/25/19 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Friday
09/27/19		 Due: Blog Entry 3
WEEK 6
Monday
09/30/19		 Privacy & Data Gathering - cont.
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 3.1-3.3
  2. The Data Brokers (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAT_ina93NY)
  3. NSA Whistleblower: Everyone in US under virtual surveillance... (12:29) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuET0kpHoyM)
Guiding Questions:
  • How is transactional data used by governments and private organizations? How should it be used?
  Reference:
Due: Final Project Kick-off due
Wednesday
10/02/19		 Privacy & Data Gathering - cont.
Reading:
  1. Machine Bias (https://www.propublica.org/article/machine-bias-risk-assessments-in-criminal-sentencing)
  2. How Algorithms Get Prejudiced (https://vimeo.com/145334736)
  3. Are Job Ads Targeting Young Workers Breaking The Law? (https://www.npr.org/2018/08/16/637499979/are-job-ads-targeting-young-workers-breaking-the-law)
Guiding Questions:
  • How does bias get introduced into machine learning algorithms, and what are the results of biased algorithms?
  Reference:
Friday
10/04/19		 Due: Blog Entry 4
WEEK 7
Monday
10/07/19		 Privacy & Data Gathering - cont.
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 3.4-3.5
  2. How Stuff Works: Encryption
  3. EFF's Tor: Myths and Facts (https://www.eff.org/document/tor-myths-and-facts)
Guiding Questions:
  • What roles do encryption and anonymity play in the internet, and how should those roles be limited?
Reference:
Wednesday
10/09/19		 Freedom of Speech
Slides Chapter 4
  Reading:
  1. Is the Internet Evolving Away from Free Speech? ( https://www.forbes.com/sites/kalevleetaru/2016/01/15/is-the-internet-evolving-away-from-freedom-of-speech )
  2. Living in a Networked World, 4.1-4.2
  3. Two Clashing Meanings of Freedom of Speech (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/two-concepts-of-freedom-of-speech/546791/)
Guiding Questions:
  • What is the meaning of free speech, and how has the nature of free speech been determined?
Reference:
Due: Chapter 3 Assessment due 10/09/19 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Friday
10/11/19		 Due:

Assignment 3
Blog Entry 5
WEEK 8
Monday
10/14/19		 NO CLASS (Mid-Semester Break, class on Tuesday)
Tuesday
10/15/19		 Freedom of Speech - cont.
  Reading:
  1. 10 Most Censored Countries (https://cpj.org/2015/04/10-most-censored-countries.php)
  2. Facebook Shuts Down Live Stream of Shooting at Police Request ( http://fortune.com/2016/08/05/facebook-video-police/ )
  3. Living in a Networked World, 4.3-4.4
Guiding Questions:
  • What methods are used by governments and/or service providers for censorship of the internet and digital communications?
  Reference:
Wednesday
10/16/19		 Freedom of Speech - cont.
  Reading:
  1. It took a genocide for Facebook to ban a country's military ( https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/28/17789202/facebook-myanmar-ban-genocide-military-leadership )
  2. Social Media: Destroyer or Creator? (http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/opinion/social-media-destroyer-or-creator.html)
  3. How the Internet has made social change easy to organize, hard to win (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo2Ai7ESNL8)
Guiding Questions:
  • What benefits can social media offer to organizing and political discourse? How can it hamper them?
  Reference:
Friday
10/18/19		 Due: Blog Entry 6
WEEK 9
Monday
10/21/19		 Freedom of Speech - cont.
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 4.5
  2. Baratunde Thurston explains net neutrality (4:29) Feb. 2013
  3. 13 things you need to know about the FCC's Net neutrality regulation ( https://www.cnet.com/news/13-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-fccs-net-neutrality-regulation/ )
Guiding Questions:
  • What impact could a neutral (or non-neutral) internet have on free speech? What effect could it have on business?
  Reference:
Wednesday
10/23/19		 Intellectual Property (slides)
  Reading:
  1. Arguments for and Against Software Patents
  2. Living in a Networked World, 5.1-5.3
  3. Copyright Basics: Crash Course Intellectual Property 2
Guiding Questions:
  • What benefits were copyright/patent laws designed to provide, and to whom are they most beneficial?
  Reference:
Due: Chapter 4 Assessment due 10/23/19 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Friday
10/25/19		 Due:

Assignment 4
Blog Entry 7
WEEK 10
Monday
10/28/19		 Intellectual Property - cont .
  Reading:
  1. The internet is changing the definition of television ( https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/jun/10/internet-changing-definition-television )
  2. Attention, artists: Streaming music is the inescapable future ( https://www.cnet.com/news/attention-artists-streaming-music-is-the-inescapable-future-embrace-it/ )
  3. Tiny Music Royalties Add Up, Unexpectedly (http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2015/05/11/404485444/tiny-music-royalties-add-up-unexpectedly)
Guiding Questions:
  • What impact has the internet had on the creation and distribution of traditional media?
Reference:
Due: Final Project Draft due
Wednesday
10/30/19		 Intellectual Property - cont.
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 5.4
  2. Dead and buried: Microsoft's holy war on open-source software (https://www.cnet.com/news/dead-and-buried-microsofts-holy-war-on-open-source-software/)
  3. Understanding How Open Source Software Developers Make Money (http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/understanding-how-open-source-software-developers-make-money/)
Guiding Questions:
  • How can open source licenses benefit for-profit entities?
Reference:
Friday
11/01/19		 Due: Blog Entry 8
WEEK 11
Monday
11/04/19		 Intellectual Property - cont.
  Reading:
  1. What Is OER? ( https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/03/29/what-is-oer-5-questions-about-open-oer.html )
  2. Creative Commons Licenses Explained In Plain English (http://sarafhawkins.com/creative-commons-licenses-explained-plain-english/)
  3. CC-BY, Copyright, and Stolen Advocacy (http://scholarlykitchen.sspnet.org/2014/03/31/cc-by-copyright-and-stolen-advocacy/)
Guiding Questions:
  • What are the results when creative works are permitted to be shared, reused, and built upon?
  Reference:
Wednesday
11/06/19

Crime & Warfare (slides)
  Reading:
  1. Living in a Networked World, 6.1-6.2
  2. Cybercrime and Punishment ( https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/magazine-features/cybercrime-and-punishment/ )
  3. Hackers: The Internet's Immune System ( 2014 - 16:35 ( https://www.ted.com/talks/keren_elazari_hackers_the_internet_s_immune_system )
Guiding Questions:
  • Which kinds of hacking should be punished? Which kinds should be rewarded?
Reference:
Due: Chapter 5 Assessment due 11/06/18 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Friday
11/08/19		 Due:

Assignment 5
Blog Entry 9
WEEK 12
Monday
11/11/19		 NO CLASS (Veteran's Day)
Wednesday
11/13/19		 Crime & Warfare - cont.
Group Activity for Assignment 6
  Reading:
  1. Avoiding Social Engineering and Phishing Attacks from the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) (https://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST04-014.html)
  2. Living in a Networked World, 6.3
  3. OnGuard Online - Phishing (http://www.onguardonline.gov/phishing)
Guiding Questions:
  • What risks can phishing pose for individuals, and how can they be mitigated?
Reference:
Due:

Final Project Peer Review due
video with instructions
Friday 11/15/19 Due: Blog Entry 10
WEEK 13
Monday
11/18/19		 Crime & Warfare - cont.
In-class discussion of peer reviews
  Reading:
  1. Internet Hacking Is About to Get Much Worse ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/opinion/internet-hacking-cybersecurity-iot.html )
  2. What is a botnet? ( https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-malware-what-is-a-botnet.html )
  3. How Hackers Hack, and How To Stop Them ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCY0bDtRxzM )
Guiding Questions:
  • What risks does hacking pose to individuals or to society, and what can be done about it?
Reference:
Wednesday
11/20/19		 Crime & Warfare - cont.
Reading:
  1. New U.S. Weapons Systems Are a Hackers’ Bonanza ( https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/10/us/politics/hackers-pentagon-weapons-systems.html )
  2. How cyber-attacks threaten real-world peace ( https://www.ted.com/talks/guy_philippe_goldstein_how_cyberattacks_threaten_real_world_peace )
  3. Living in a Networked World, 6.4
Guiding Questions:
  • What aspects of cyber-warfare are similar to physical warfare, and which are different?
  Reference:

Friday
11/22/19

 Due: Assignment 6 due
Blog Entry 11
WEEK 14
Monday
11/25/19

Misc. Topics
Due: Chapter 6 Assessment due 11/25/19 2:00PM
Chapter questions
Chapter topics
Wednesday
11/27/19
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
WEEK 15
Monday
12/02/19		 CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW
  Due: Final Project Report
Wednesday
12/04/19		 Project Presentations
See schedule for which day you present
Friday
12/06/19		 Due: Blog Entry 12
FINALS WEEK
Monday
12/09/19		 Project Presentations
See schedule for which day you present
Due: Final Assessment
Wednesday
12/11/19		 Conference times available to review Final Assessment and assign final grade.
Friday
12/13/19		 Conference times available to review Final Assessment and assign final grade.
Monday
12/16/19		 Conference times available to review Final Assessment and assign final grade.
Tuesday
12/17/19		 Conference times available to review Final Assessment and assign final grade.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due