REL 185.03  »  Fall 2002
Department of Religion  »  Duke University

FAQ: Questions & Answers

1.   Why Ethics and the Internet 2.0?

2.   Why "pervasive computing"?

3.   What is a cyborg and what does it have to do with E&I 2.0?

4.   How will handhelds be used in- and outside of the classroom?

5.   What will determine my grade in the class?

 

Please note that this FAQ does not address post-Sept. 11 issues, which will be taken up in class.  Mobility and pervasive computing have increased in relevance in the last few months, despite the economic recession . . . 

 

1.   Why Ethics and the Internet 2.0?

Ethics and the Internet (E&I) is now six years old. What's changed since 1996?

Email is ubiquitous. The Web, short for World Wide Web — a way of accessing the Internet with a graphical user interface (GUI, pronounced "gooey") — has become mainstream. However, the Web's user base has plateaued at about 56% of the adult population in the U.S., if with greater diversity among socioeconomic and age groups.

The first to have a White House home page, the Clinton administration supported the Information Superhighway, which has since become a toll road. Internet policy grew to embrace telecommunications, HDTV, the digital divide, globalization and minors online. The Bush administration recently updated the White House site, although there has been no clear support for Internet-related endeavors from the current administration.

Fortunes were made and lost through investments, entrepreneurism and ecommerce, which is said to have affected the overall economy or was symptomatic of the coming recession after a long period of economic prosperity and rapid technological advancement. Start-ups such as Amazon, ebay and Yahoo have become household names, while Excite, Netscape and The Industry Standard have faded. Mighty CNN-Time-Warner was bought by AOL, which six years ago was a joke to "Netizens," comfortable with their alternative virtual communities. Almost down for the count a few years ago, Steve Jobs and Apple opened their own brick-and-mortar stores and made an uneasy truce with Bill Gates, whose Microsoft has been ruled a monopoly long after the "browser wars" have been fought and lost, with the next battlefield perhaps playing out with handheld rather than desktop systems.

Y2K came and went without a whimper . . . perhaps. Napster possibly changed the way entertainment will be consumed for years to come.  And many of us who are part of the Duke community today couldn't imagine leaving home without our cell phones or pagers.

If it's the end of the beginning as has been suggested, then the time is right for E&I 2.0. It's time to look at what has changed, but perhaps more importantly at were we're headed. This semester we'll consider the future of ethics and the Internet as we head further down the electronic path of the new millennium.

 

2.   Why "pervasive computing"?

As a culture we are "mobilizing." Computing is moving beyond the desktop to something we do "on the fly," 24/7.  Some pundits claim that computing is becoming ubiquitous or pervasive, meaning online is merging with offline, networked computing taking place around us nearly constantly.

For example, see James Gleick's article that appeared on the cover of the New York Times Magazine in the spring, "Inescapably Connected: Life in the Wireless Age." Increasingly at a global level, we stay connected with portable, wireless, handheld devices or through devices other than personal computers, including "smart rooms" and within automobiles.

 

3.  What is a cyborg and what does it have to do with E&I 2.0?

A cyborg is a human being who relies on cybernetic mechanisms for his or her survival and has at least somewhat merged, or bonded, with the interface or artifice. As a concept, the cyborg has become a way of reflecting on the "posthuman" computer-mediated condition or augmented humanity. Writing in 1993, Katherine Hayles estimated that "about ten percent of the current U.S. population [are] cyborgs in the technical sense" ("The Life Cycle of Cyborgs: Writing the Posthuman").

It can be argued that cyborgization is a "natural" or naturalized process of embodiment, begun long ago with writing and messaging instruments that extend the sensory reach and instruments worn on the body that provide or improve sensory data input, such as eyeglasses and wristwatches (early "wearables"). E&I has always been about exploring our relationship to technology and our tools, questioning how our personal values, beliefs and ethos are affected, and considering where humanity may be headed. There is rich current thought on the cyborg, which can be drawn on to discuss the here and now as well as future implications. The cyborg, then, is a useful metaphor for one possible scenario of human evolution.

 

4.   How will handhelds be used in- and outside of the classroom?

With the support of an instructional technology grant for 2001-02 from the Center for Instructional Technology (CIT), we have handheld devices for use for in- and outside the classroom. Specifically we have Palm IIIs and Handspring Visor Deluxe devices.

 

You are encouraged to use the handheld devices or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) as often in as many aspects of your life as possible over the semester. You are expected to bring the PDA to class for note-taking and use it for your writing assignments. Use it as much as you can in other classes and for leisure activities. The more you can manage to be online 24/7 this semester and consider the technosocial implications of being "wired" or having a cybernetic body the better. We will draw on that awareness through the essay assignments and class discussion.

You fill out a form early in the semester and are responsible for buying batteries and for maintaining the loaned PDA in as much of a like-new condition as possible. If you have your own PDA, that's fine: Please do use it since there may not be quite enough loaned equipment to go around for nearly 50 students.

You'll want to download a program such as Documents to Go or Quickoffice to sync between the PDA and MS Office on your computer (there is a small fee after the free trial period). Be sure to back up your data!

At the end of the semester, there will be an informal assessment of your use of the PDA, whether you used your own or borrowed from CIT and the Dept of Religion. Your feedback will be sought on the use of the PDAs as well as on the course generally and will play a significant role in future plans for the course.

 

5.   What will determine my grade in the class?

Overall evaluation depends on the quality of your four essays and your ability to articulate how the Internet, digital media and/or wearable or handheld devices — from laptops, cell phones, PDAs, pagers, IM and MP3 players through advanced applications, including GPS in automobiles, smart watches and robotic pets — are affecting society and our values.

As E&I is a course in the humanities, the reading and writing requirements are high and class participation is expected. Note that there are classic articles, supplemental articles on current events and related links on Backflip that may be useful for your final essay and for other purposes. No special research beyond the required texts and provided links is required, but these must be comprehended well enough to discuss in the essays and in class.

There will be no "tests," per se, although there may be a few pop quizzes as necessary and opportunities to participate in a contest and to present toward the end of the semester.

No special computer skills are required, although all students are expected to have good access to email and the Net, and to use the provided handhelds. You are expected to be "typical Duke students" who have slightly higher access than your peers through the loaned PDAs. Any additional connected and/or mobile devices you can bring to bear on the course are a plus, such as electronic sports equipment or medical apparatuses.

Short Essays: 3 total, 4-6 pages, each worth 20% = 60% of grade
At the start of a new section of the course — on Sept 19, Oct 10, and Oct 31 — a short essay will be due on a topic (TBA) drawn from the previous section. Your notes, taken through the PDA, and the class discussion are expected to play a role in your written work.

The essays are expected to be well written, double-spaced, proofread, spell-checked, stapled or clipped with your last name and page number on each page with an appropriate title (and, yes, neatness counts). They should show evidence of thinking about the course topics and your values, beliefs and ethos. Using first-person pronouns is fine. There are a number of writing techniques that we will discuss; you can try several over the semester, such as several philosophical approaches.

Bring your subjective impressions of carrying around a PDA and cell phone and whatever other communication or augmentation devices you may use into your writing. Indeed the handhelds themselves as tools to facilitate the writing process may influence the writing. But try to withhold judgment about whether the subjects under consideration are "good" or "bad" until the end of the course. Think in terms, not of padding but, of amplifying your topic, wringing out of it all you can by not drawing simplistic conclusions, but digging deeply, pulling out. Argue and persuade rather than telling the reader what to think.

Final Topical Essay: 8-10 pages = 30% of grade
In lieu of a final, you will write a longer essay on a topic of your choice, which will be on an issue that emerges for you as crucial for consideration as computers and networks become ubiquitous. What are the societal implications? In your opinion, based on evidence that you marshal and cite, what does it mean?

An earlier essay may be developed or your final essay may be on a new topic. You will write a one-paragraph abstract on your plans for the essay, which must be approved before you can proceed. The abstract is due by lunchtime on Thurs, Nov 15, on email.  The final essay is due during the official exam period, by 8 pm on Wed, Dec 12. Directions on formatting, citation styles and related matters will be shared later in the semester.

Class Participation In and Outside the Classroom, Attendance and Pop Quizzes (TBA): Ongoing = 10% of grade
Staying in touch with me and with each other through email and text-based phone or IM is expected. A Web-based discussion board or regular IM chats can be set up, given sufficient interest. Because the demands on your time and attention are high (no E&I while driving!), absenteeism is strongly discouraged or you will fall behind. Missing classes also means that you will miss hearing important information about the essay assignments. Committing to this ten percent of your grade is crucial.

Please note that due to past problems with viruses and corrupted files that have harmed the work of former students as well as the teacher, absolutely no student work may be submitted as attached files. Failure to honor this request counts against participation.