One of the most important debates related to the Internet and cyberlife is the discussion of (in)decency on the web. The Communication Decency Act (CDA) was an attempt by the federal legislature to regulate the contents of web sites and the information exchange via the Internet. The opposition of groups championing civil liberties finally resulted in a Supreme Court decision which found important parts of this act unconstitutional. However, the debate is not over and the controversy continues. Therefore, we included "Adult Entertainment" in the list of possible paper topics.
However, research on this topic requires viewing of material that many people may find offensive. Only students that had expressed a personal preference to work on this (after an explicit warning when describing the topic choices) were assigned this topic. I therefore assume that doing research on this topic does not conflict with any student's religious and/or moral beliefs.
In addition, students researching this topic must conduct their inquiry in a responsible and considerate manner. In particular:
These rules are necessary to comply with text and spirit of the guidelines on sexual harassment in effect at Hunter College. "Sexual harassment" includes creating a work or study environment in which other students would involuntarily be exposed to material possibly deemed as offensive such as photographs/videos showing nudity and/or sexual activity. If I become aware of any violation of these rules, I will have no choice other than reporting the incidence to the sexual harassment panel at Hunter College.
So, please, be considerate and discrete in doing research on this topic. If you find that you are unable or unwilling to handle this topic, you have the choice to refocus your assignment to cover other forms of entertainment on the Web. Also, papers dealing with adult entertainment will not be included in any "show-and-tell" classroom presentation.