I recently graduated from a middle tier state school in CS/Math. The CS portion required an ethics course, I believe its inclusion had something to do with an ACM mandate. Out of over 100 enrolled juniors/seniors I don't believe attendance ever reached double digits outside of 2 tests.
Sure, there was a "requierment," but I wouldn't really consider it legitimate. It took concerted effort to "earn" any grade lower than an A. I wasn't personally acquainted with any other student who seriously considered the social and ethical implications of computers during or after taking a 400 level course titled "Social and Ethical Implications of Computers."
On the bright side, I heard through the grapevine that rigor, or at least workload for the course, has increased since I took it.
Although anecdotal and perhaps specific to my institution, every recollection of my University career makes me feel deeply thankful that I ended up eventually pursuing a double major in mathematics. The quality and dedication of the instructors wildly surpassed that of the CS department. Mathematics professors were there to share knowledge. CS perfessors were pressured by hiring statistics into "preparing us for the workforce" by essentially quizzing specific interview questions like "what's the difference between interfaces and subclasses in Java."
A counter-example: I also attended a middle tier state University for CS, and our single term required Ethics in Computing course was all but easy. That said, it certainly didn't capture the attention of students.
My one hour exam final prompt was “Networking is useful, but explain the ethics involved in networking.” I answered with an essay about conflicts of interest in business while my friend wrote about file-sharing.
This matches my experience. In addition to taking the course as an undergrad, I was the graduate TA for three semesters. While it wasn't super deep on any one topic, the course was far from easy and required to graduate.
Sure, there was a "requierment," but I wouldn't really consider it legitimate. It took concerted effort to "earn" any grade lower than an A. I wasn't personally acquainted with any other student who seriously considered the social and ethical implications of computers during or after taking a 400 level course titled "Social and Ethical Implications of Computers."
On the bright side, I heard through the grapevine that rigor, or at least workload for the course, has increased since I took it.
Although anecdotal and perhaps specific to my institution, every recollection of my University career makes me feel deeply thankful that I ended up eventually pursuing a double major in mathematics. The quality and dedication of the instructors wildly surpassed that of the CS department. Mathematics professors were there to share knowledge. CS perfessors were pressured by hiring statistics into "preparing us for the workforce" by essentially quizzing specific interview questions like "what's the difference between interfaces and subclasses in Java."