Computers and Society: A Proposed Course for Computer Scientists

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to describe a course concerned with both the effects of computers on society and the responsibilities of computer scientists to society. The impact of computers is divided into five components: political, economic, cultural, social, and moral; the main partt of the paper defines each component and presents examples of the relevant issues. In the remaining portions, we discuss the possible formats for such a course, give a topic by topic outline, and list a selected set of references. It is hoped that the proposal will make it easier to initiate courses on this subject. Keywords: Computers and society, social implications, course proposal.