ICS 131: Social Analysis of Computerization

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ICS 131 Social Analysis of Computerization

• Professor Bill Tomlinson
• Winter 2005

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Key Ideas

• Technical content operates in a
• non-technical context.
• Social context is central to technology.

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Not as Precise

• But arguably more important.
• Not helpful, responsible or necessary to dismiss
  it.

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Opportunity

• Understanding and working with the
  social/non-technical context can make your work
  better.

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This Course

• Should give you a chance to recognize situations
  where social/non-technical issues arise.
• Should help you see all sides of these issues.
• Should help you use this understanding to make
  better work.

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Ground Rules
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Respect

• Discussion based
• Differing opinions
• Mutual

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Attendance

• Mandatory

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Attention

• 8 hours of sleep

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Syllabus

• Hand out.

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Instructors

• Professor Bill Tomlinson
• TA Justin Harris

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Meeting Times

• Lectures MWF, 300-350pm, ELH 100
• Sections
• M 400-450pm
• W 400-450pm
• F 100-150pm

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Discussion Sections

• Week by week.
• No sections this week.

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Add/Drop

• Deadline to drop Friday, January 14

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Academic Honesty

• http//www.editor.uci.edu/catalogue/appx/appx.2.ht
  m

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Cell Phones, Notebook Computers, etc.

• Please turn off cell phones.
• Please do not browse the web, email, IM, etc.

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Grading

• Short assignments 20
• Long assignments 40
• Class participation/quizzes 10
• Midterm 10
• Final 20

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Basis of Lecture/Course Materials

• 1-2 readings per lecture.
• Available online (web site, library site).

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Short Assignments

• 2 paragraph response to each reading.
• Completed before the class when the reading will
  be discussed.
• Turned in every 1-2 weeks.

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Long Assignments

• 2 papers.
• 1500-2000 words each.

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Class Participation

• 20 minutes at the end of each class.
• Randomly chosen from the class.

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Quizzes

• In class, from time to time.

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Midterm and final

• One midterm examination.
• One final examination.
• Will cover material from both lectures and
  readings.

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Notebooks

• Keep an archive of all of your written
  assignments.

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Note

• These are guidelines intended to help students
  plan their work in this course. However, the
  instructor reserves the right to make changes to
  this syllabus over the course of the quarter.

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Course Outline

• Four main topics
• Social Aspects of Technical Questions
• Computing and the Law
• Computers, Work and Learning
• Computing and Everyday Life

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Readings

• Posted on course web site or library web site.

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Strunk and White

• Useful reference for good writing style.

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Questions?
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Questions Later

• Syllabus - theres a lot in there.
• Web site - updated.
• TA Justin Harris.
• Me!

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Next class

• Friday Identifying and analyzing social issues

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Assignment

• Reading
• Simon, H., Sciences of the Artificial, 2nd
  Edition, The MIT Press, Cambridge, 1986, Chapter
  6, pp. 160-191.
• http//www.ics.uci.edu/redmiles/ics131-FQ04/week
  01Basis/Simon81Chapter6.pdf
• and sleep!

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Introduce Justin Harris
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Thanks!

• I hope you find this quarter interesting.

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In building later classes, every week announce
whether or not there will be sections.
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Readings
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Picard
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Breazeal?
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Reeves Nass
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Weizenbaum
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Lecture 2
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Background

• Biology - undergrad
• Animation - MFA
• Media Arts Sciences - PhD
• Interdisciplinary - Informatics Drama

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100 Statements that I believe inComputers (C.)
can help people be more productive.C. can help
people stay in touch with each other.The way in
which Cs help people stay in touch changes the
form of their relationships.An OS changes the
way in which people expect to use a c.Software
specifies the ways in which people can use
c.Software can be used in ways not intended by
the coder.The process of adoption of technology
can change how a piece of technology integrates
w/ society.Software can enable people to break
the law.Software can prevent people from doing
certain things that break the law.Software can
prevent people from doing things that are not
against the law.Software enables faster and more
fluid interactions (exchange of info).Certain
laws were designed for slower and more viscous
kinds of interactions.People are willing to form
social relationships with computer
systems.Social are willing to form social
relationships with each other through computing
systems.People could be interested in/benefit
from characters that form relationships with each
other.The rise in computing systems in service
industry changes role of humans to that of
consultants.Computing can change the way people
learn content in classrooms.Computing can change
the way people learn content outside of
classrooms.Computers make it possible for people
to invade each others privacy in new
ways.Computers create new data that people might
want to keep private.People present themselves
differently in computationally mediated
settings.Computers can be used to help people
share information about many content domains
(e.g. ecology).Computers can be used as a tool
for environmental stewardship.Computers can be
used as a tool for environmental
education.Computer games and the internet
areTopicsComputerization and
WorkingProductivity ParadoxSystems
RisksComputerization and Living PrivacyVirtual
CommunitiesComputerization and Learning
Formal InformalImpact of the World on
Computing - DesignImpact of Computing on the
WorldHow the process of getting there affects
how something is usedWho Cares, and What Are
They Going To Do About ItHow Operating Systems
Affect How Computers Are UsedSchedule

• Topics (24)
• Who cares?
• What are you going to do about it?
• Government
• Work
• Learning
• Play
• Spam/Gmail filtering
• Proliferation of programs
• Julia Gelfand
• The Social Effects of Software Design
• Search how google affects the world run some
  search competitions
• Operating systems Windows/MacOS/Linux, the
  desktop metaphor