Computers and society in CS0: an interactive approach

One of the challenges in developing introductory computer science courses for non-majors is attracting and engaging a diverse population of students. Incorporating the social, legal, and ethical issues in computer science into the course material is one effective way to introduce students to the concept of computing as a science and to demonstrate the relevance of the discipline to their everyday lives. In this paper, we propose a series of classroom and Web-based activities in which the students take an active role in researching and learning the societal impact of the current technical subject studied in class.