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UNIVERSITY OF GHANA
DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
SCHOOL OF PHYSICAL AND MATHEMATICAL SCIENCES

COURSE SYLLABUS
DCIT 401: SOCIAL, LEGAL, ETHICAL AND PROFESSIONAL ISSUES
CREDITS: 3

INSTRUCTORS
Dr. Ebenezer Owusu P. Boakye-Sekyerehene
Dept. of Computer Science Dept. of Computer Science
SPMS SPMS
P. O. Box LG 163, Legon, Accra. P. O. Box LG 163, Legon, Accra.
Office Location: CS04 Rips Building Office Location: Room CS08 Rips Building
Office Hours: Contact via Email or Office Hours: Contact via Email or
Official Telegram Group Official Telegram Group
Email: ebeowusu@ug.edu.gh Email: pboakye-sekyerehene@ug.edu.gh

COURSE OVERVIEW

The course explores and discusses key ethical, legal and professional issues and responsibilities in

Computing and other related fields. It examines emergent technologies within frameworks that highlight

their ethical, legal and social implications. Topics include privacy, confidentiality, security, intellectual

property, software piracy, cybercrime, digital identity, software reliability, risk and safety and

professional standards of conduct and codes of ethics. The students critically examine current and

relevant research and particular case studies to enhance their understanding of the subject. The

students learn that careers in IT and Computer Science are not purely technical professions but ones

with moral, legal and social implications that impact the everyday lives of professionals.

COURSE GOAL

The course will provide the students with the tools and methodology to develop the ethical analysis

skills and professional values so they are able to decide by themselves if an action related to computer

science is good or bad, right or wrong. The students will be able to identify and define the components

of a structured plan for solving ethical problems and, in the process, will be able to understand the

basis for their own ethical system.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will have demonstrated competency in the

following objectives:

1. To review and apply ethical concepts, frameworks and analysis tools to identify and evaluate

ethical choices within the computer-related professions.

2. To explore various ethical and legal issues and controversies commonly faced by computing

professionals and their impacts on society.

3. To examine some of the relevant professional code of ethics and code of conduct.

4. To highlight the importance of professional and social responsibilities for computing

professionals.

5. Identify and describe common ethical concepts and theories.

6. Analyze ethical dilemmas and articulate a clear, descriptive account prior to forming a

normative course of action.

7. Demonstrate one or more processes of philosophical analysis.

8. Identify common ethical issues facing professionals in the field of information technology.

9. Apply ethical concepts and an analytical process to common dilemmas found in the information

technology field.

10. Demonstrate writing competency in the following areas:

11. Development of ideas

a. Organization

b. Appropriate voice

c. Proper mechanics

d. Relevance to assignment

Given several examples of professional codes of ethics related to computing, the student will be able to

compare and contrast these examples, discussing their commonalities, differences, and implications.

FORUMS

Occasionally, forums will be held to allow students to express ideas and views on given scenarios. This

will enable students to harness the power of deploying rational, reasoned arguments and compelling

evidence in action. Students will elucidate their standpoints through utilizing rhetorical eloquence.
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS

Written assignments are submitted directly to Sakai and are not publicly available. In general, these

assignments assess your understanding of the text or other material as well as your writing skills. You

are expected to use clear and complete sentences when answering questions. One or two word

answers are not acceptable. Likewise, a word-for-word answer directly from the book or the Internet

won't get you many points. Please make sure that you submit in the correct format (.doc or pdf) and

in the correct location - sometimes students submit their final work into the comments section, which is

especially difficult to read.

ANALYSIS PAPERS

Analysis papers provide students the opportunity to examine an ethical issue in greater depth.

Submissions are 1200-1500 words in length, typewritten (word processor), and double-spaced form.

A minimum of two analysis papers will be required.

Submissions will be evaluated in the areas of grammar/mechanics, clarity/organization, and effective

analysis of the topic. Please review the grading rubrics for discussion board assignments and analysis

papers, which are found in the Course Info area of the Moodle shell. Before submitting your work,

please review the assignment to make sure you've covered all of the required elements. It's no fun to

take off points because a student has forgotten to cover an element of the assignment.

PLAGIARISM POLICY

Plagiarism in any form is unacceptable in the University of Ghana and shall be treated as a serious

offense. Appropriate sanctions, as stipulated in the Plagiarism Policy, will be applied when students are

found to have violated the Plagiarism policy.

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING
ITEM FORM OF ASSESSMENT DELIVERED MARKS

Individual ● Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) Beginning of 20%

Assignments ● Written Assignments Semester

Group Assignments Forums During Semester 15%

Written Assignments Analysis Papers Beginning of 15%

Semester

Written Examination Semester Examination End of semester 50%

Total 100%

RECOMMENDED READING LIST

1. ITEthic Reader by: Reychele Buenavidez

2. Introduction to Computer Ethics
3. G. Reynolds, Ethics in Information Technology, Thomson Course Technology, 5th Ed., 2014.
4. J. Rachels and S. Rachels, The Right Thing to Do: Basic Readings in Moral Philosophy,
McGraw-Hill College; 6thEd., 2011.

OTHER INFORMATION

i. Submission Guidelines:
● Assignment should be single-spaced, font-size 12, Times New Roman. Submit online
through the required medium by the deadline to be given.
● Award will be given to neat work. Each assignment, therefore, should be carefully
edited for grammar, typos, and/or spelling mistakes.
● Appropriate citations when applicable should be provided using the American
Psychological Association (APA) format. The following website offers information
about writing and formatting papers in the APA style including general format,
reference of the works of others in your texts, reference list, examples, notes, and
additionalresources:http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html

ii. Late Submission of Assignments

Any work submitted after the advertised deadline will attract a penalty in the form of reduction
of marks up to 25% of marks available may be lost due to late submission.

iii. Announcements will be made during lectures and also be posted to students' email
accordingly. It is the responsibility of students to check on announcements made in class, on the
sakai, and through email.
COURSE DELIVERY SCHEDULE

WEEK
TOPIC COMMENTS

Introductory lecture

In Depth Understanding of Theories and Concepts of

Ethics
- Concepts and Theories: Present advanced knowledge and
understanding of ethical, social and legal concepts that relate
to the Computing professions.

- Contemporary Trends, Problems and Research: Identify,

describe and discuss controversies arising in the computing
related fields including intellectual property, privacy and
cybercrime, professional and social responsibilities, legal
accountability, responsibility and liability.

- Professional Responsibility: Demonstrate the ability to

examine and apply the code of ethics and the codes of
conduct in relation to IT and computing professions.

Enhance subject-specific skills

- Problem Solving: Inspect, analyze, and investigate ethical
behavior in real-life IT and computing business environments
through critical thinking and examination of IT and
computing-related ethical codes of conduct.

- Synthetic: Formulate and justify ethical decisions taken when

examining and analyzing certain behaviors within the
computing professions and in the delivery of services.

Harness Critical Thinking Skills

- Analytic skills: Identify, analyze, and justify the ethical,
legal and social ramifications and implications of certain
actions within the computing related fields.

- Synthetic: Formulate and justify ethical decisions taken when

examining and analyzing certain behaviors within the
computing professions and in the delivery of services.
- Creative: Demonstrate originality in the creation of solutions
to ethical dilemmas that arise in the computing profession.

EXAMINATIONS
Table 1 Weekly Schedule
Assignments
WK Theme Topics Group work
(individual)
- Overview of the course and its
objectives
- Historical background and evolution of
Introduction to Written
1 computer ethics as a field of study
Computer Ethics Assignment
- Key concepts and terminology in
computer ethics

- The concept of privacy in the digital

age
Privacy and - The ethics of surveillance and data
2
surveillance collection
- Case studies and current controversies
related to privacy and surveillance

- The ethics of computer security

- The impact of hacking on individuals
Security and
3 and society
hacking
- Case studies and current controversies
related to hacking and cybercrime

- The concept of intellectual property in

the digital age
- The ethics of software piracy and file
Intellectual
4 sharing
property
- Case studies and current controversies
related to intellectual property
communication

5 FORUM FORUM FORUM

- The ethics of artificial intelligence and

robotics
Artificial
- The impact of AI and robotics on
6 intelligence and
society
robotics
- Case studies and current controversies
related to AI and robotics
 - The ethics of cyber warfare and cyber
security
Cyber warfare
- The impact of cyber attacks on
and international
7 international relations
relations
- Case studies and current controversies
related to cyber warfare

Cyber warfare - The ethics of cyber warfare and cyber security

8 and international - The impact of cyber attacks on international relations
relations - Case studies and current controversies related to cyber warfare

- The impact of technology on the

workplace
Ethics in the - The ethics of workplace surveillance
9
workplace and monitoring
- Case studies and current controversies
related to ethics in the workplace

- The impact of emerging technologies

on society
Ethics and
- The ethics of virtual reality, blockchain
10 emerging
and internet of things
technologies
- Case studies and current controversies
related to emerging technologies

- Summary of key concepts and issues

covered in the course
Conclusion and - Future prospects for computer ethics
11 future of and its role in shaping society
computer ethics - Group discussion and final project
presentation