Thursday, March 27th 2003

BACKGROUND SESSIONS
8:00-9:15 am
9:30-10:45 am (sessions repeated)

All sessions occur in the Donaldson Brown Hotel & Conference Center (DBHCC).

The morning sessions are introductory in nature. We recommend you attend those on topics that interest you, but about which you know the least.

Sessions are repeated at 9:30 at the same locations..

The Literary Origins of 'Big Brother'
Room A

Draws on a survey of literary works, including Orwell's 1984, to enhance our understanding of the personal and societal challenges these new "Big Brother" technologies may present.

8 am — Marc Zaldivar, Department of English, Virginia Tech
9:30 am — Bruce Watson, Department of English, Virginia Tech

Ethics and 'Big Brother'
Executive Conference Room

Introduces basic ethical frameworks and demonstrates how such analysis can be applied to questions relating to "Big Brother" technologies.

Dennie Templeton, College of Information Science & Technology, Radford University

Historical Background
Room C

Explores the origins of U.S. institutions such as the FBI and CIA and examines how their obligations to reduce crime and protect national security have evolved in different time periods.

Kathleen Jones, Department of History, Virginia Tech

Legal Traditions
Room F

Discusses the ways in which the legal system views privacy, civil liberty, and the public good.

Stephen J. Bragaw, Law & Society Program, Sweet Briar College

Nature of Technologies
Room G

Provides an overview of "Big Brother" technologies along with a realistic assessment of current and future technologies, tools, and developments.

Jeremy Hunsinger, Center for Applied Technologies in the Humanities and Department of Political Science, Virginia Tech