Santa Clara University

MSIS 641 Information Technology - Ethics and Public Policy

The first part of the course will introduce the students to the normative principles for ethical decision making - which moral principles, if any, are applicable for particular cases, how should they go about in assigning the weights if some of the principles are in conflict with each other.

The objective of this part of the course is to help students graduating from MSIS program acquire a set of moral principles which will guide them in their ethical decision making throughout their careers as information system workers.

In the remaining part of the course the students will explore in depth a number of contemporary ethical and public policy issues relating to uses and abuses of information technology.

Topics relating to ethical issues may include business need for information versus the right of privacy for customers and employees, objectionable materials on Internet versus freedom of expression, right to deploy technology for Internet uses versus intellectual property rights, and whistle blowing corporate frauds versus concern for job security.

Topics relating to public policy issues may include digital divide and cyber quandaries, information technology and globalization, and the role of governments in networking world.

Class lectures and discussions will be supplemented by a series of invited guest speakers. Speakers will come from government, industry, and the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics and the Center for Science, Technology and Society.