ITECH3203/7203
Professional Development

Faculty of Science
Ethics Assignment Term 2, 2014

Topic
Freedom of Speech Due Date
Week 6 – Friday, 29 August 2014, 5:00 pm
Worth
20% (40 marks – ITECH 3203)
20% (50 marks – ITECH 7203) Course Objectives
This assessment task relates to the following course objectives:
• understand the principles of the Australian Computer Society Code of Ethics to IT professional practice
• value and understand the legal, social and ethical issues involved in IT professional practice within a cultural context

Background
Proposed changes to the law that give more emphasis to freedom of speech are currently being considered by the Australian parliament. Modern communication technologies allow for the transmission of opinion to a larger and more diverse audience. To what extent should Australian law limit one person's speech to minimise the impact on another?
Requirements
Prepare a business report on this issue that provides a brief historical background of freedom of speech as a universal human right and outlines some examples of where free speech should be limited on the grounds of each of the well-being of others (utilitarianism), impartiality (deontology), conflict with other human rights (social contract), the behaviour of a virtuous person (character-based) and the principles of the ACS Code of Ethics.

For assistance in report writing techniques, see: http://unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4b.html
The report structure described by this source should be followed plus additional headings listed in the Assessment Feedback tables at the end of this task description.

The introduction section should provide context and background on the issue of freedom of speech. It should clearly indicate the problem being discussed and provide an overview of how you intend to address the problem and proposed solution(s).

The body section of the report should contain a brief background of the history of freedom of speech and an overview of each of the four ethical theories, and the ACS code of ethics. It should include a discussion and proposed solution for the problem, from each of the four ethical theoretical viewpoints, and the ACS code of ethics. The discussion should show an analysis and synthesis of research undertaken and your own ideas.

Writing should be validated with concepts from other people’s work. Gather these references from various sources such as the Internet, assigned text books and readings etc. For assistance with in-text referencing and formatting your reference list in APA format, see the General Guide: APA citation style.

Academic Writing and Presentation

Please refer to the General guide to referencing, available electronically on the university’s website. URL:
http://federation.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0015/164121/FedUni-General-Guide-to-Referencing-2014.pdf

Adhere to academic writing standards such as correct grammar and spelling as well as the rules for referencing and in-text citing given in the guide.

Additional Tasks for Postgraduate (ITECH 7203) Students

Provide an annotated bibliography of your sources and discuss for this topic where and why you would rely on the law to limit freedom of speech and where you would use education to encourage the right of freedom of speech to be used ethically. The annotated bibliography should be included in an appendix. Allow an additional 500 words.

Submission

Submit an ELECTRONIC copy via Moodle. Please refer to the “Course Description” for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. Remember that all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website.
URL: http://federation.edu.au/students/essential-info/publications/handbook