CSE 490E: Ethics, Society, and Computers
Winter 2018
Restr 22323 E 1 creidt T 230-320 EEB 042 Moore,Jared L CR/NC grading
Chief explorer: Jared Moore
Email: jlcmoore@cs.washington.edu
Office Hours: By appointment only
Note: Graded credit/no credit so will not apply to CSE senior electives, senior electives must be graded
Description:
This course will explore computing technologies as they pertain to society along ethical dimensions. In particular, it will examine what it means to be an ethical computer scientist and the societal implications of computer technology. Each week, we’ll read about a different topic or case study (e.g. privacy) and discuss the related quandaries in class. This course will afford a moment to look up from the minutia of computer science – algorithmic complexity, fitting models, appropriate use of MVC, etc. – to examine the impact of technology on society at large.
Objectives:This course will provide a space and the impetus for exploration of ethical issues in computer science. The point of this class is not for the dictation of what is ethical (or the contrary), but rather for students to play a role in critically exploring technology. At the end of this course, students will have gained a broader conception of dilemmas in current computing technologies and will have a stronger framework with which to develop their own ethical responsibilities.