Knowledge Units in the Tenth Subject Area
A knowledge unit defines a coherent collection of subject matter that is so
fundamental to the designated subject area that it should occur in every undergraduate
curriculum. Frequently the subject matter of a particular knowledge unit is related to
other knowledge units in the common requirements and can be introduced within any of several
alternative course structures. This is often the case with the knowledge units that we
will describe in this new subject area designated Ethical and Social Impact of Computing
(ES). The conceptual framework, principles and skills explicated in The Consequences of
Computing [3], the first report from the ImpactCS Project, are used as the basis of the
knowledge space of this new subject area. The five fundamental knowledge units of Ethical
and Social Impact of Computing are:
ES1: Responsibility of the Computer Professional
ES2: Basic Elements of Ethical Analysis
ES3: Basic Skills of Ethical Analysis
ES4: Basic Elements of Social Analysis
ES5: Basic Skills of Social Analysis
Each of the knowledge units will be described in terms of learning objectives,
recurring concepts, and core content. We will also describe the amount of time needed to
teach these units, the role of laboratories in each of the knowledge units and the connections
to other knowledge units in the curriculum. It is important to note that these knowledge
units should be taught in a computing context using topics related to computing, such as
privacy, automation, freedom of speech on networks, risks and reliability, and equity of
access to computer technology. We will use a format similar to the one presented in
Computing Curricula 1991 to describe each of the knowledge units:
KU tag #: Knowledge Unit Name
Paragraph : describing the learning objectives and general subject matter coverage
required.
Recurring concepts: list of CS recurring concepts that are appropriate to the unit
Lecture topics: (minimum number of lecture hours): description of topics to cover
Suggested laboratory activities:(minimum number of hours): description of activities
Connections to other knowledge units:
Related to: other knowledge units in the curriculum
Prerequisites: