Computers and Society 01 - Course Overview
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The course explores the relationship between information technology and society, focusing on topics like privacy, intellectual property, and ethics in technological practice. It critiques traditional approaches that view technology as an independent force impacting society and emphasizes a more comprehensive understanding of social issues. The course will encourage critical thinking about technology through historical context and reflective practices.
![public void TeachSocialIssuesCourse() {
EthicalTheories[] ethics = TeachRulesOfEthicalEvaluation();
foreach (SocialIssue issue in issuesList) {
Impacts[] impacts = ArticulateSocialImpacts(issue);
EthicallyEvaluateImpacts(issue, impacts, ethics);
}
TeachProfessionalCodes();
}](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/01courseoverview-120113174731-phpapp02/85/Computers-and-Society-01-Course-Overview-6-320.jpg)
Computers and Society 01 - Course Overview
- 2. What is this course about? A study of the relationship between information technology and the rest of society and its individuals.
- 3. Specific Topics include: Thinking about Technology Thi ki b tT h l Historical Context of Computerization Privacy and Surveillance P i dS ill Community Intellectual Property I t ll t l P t Free Speech Identity Id tit and Virtuality d Vi t lit Work and Economics
- 4. Classic/ACM Approach to This Type of Course: Learn some evaluative ethical approaches (e.g., (e g utilitarian vs universalist) Use these ethical approaches to evaluate and judge various high-tech issues.
- 5. You’re bad! (i.e. (i you have been engaging i morally wrong h b i in ll technological practice).
- 6. public void TeachSocialIssuesCourse() { EthicalTheories[] ethics = TeachRulesOfEthicalEvaluation(); foreach (SocialIssue issue in issuesList) { Impacts[] impacts = ArticulateSocialImpacts(issue); EthicallyEvaluateImpacts(issue, impacts, ethics); } TeachProfessionalCodes(); }
- 7. This algorithmic approach and the g pp understanding of the relationship between society and technology that it is grounded upon has some real limitations and may in fact give our students an impoverished understanding of the social issues of computation.
- 8. Impact Approach to Computers and Society In this approach, technology is an independent force …
- 9. … and the social world is “impacted” by the technology.
- 10. The whole "impacts" approach is impacts extremely flawed from a social theory point of view. It is also ethically irresponsible as well in that it ultimately inculcates a kind of powerless passivity towards technology.
- 11. My Approach to Computers and Society Initial course focus will be on examining a variety of ways of thinking about technology.
- 12. Part of the initial focus will also be on history and context.
- 13. We will be opening up the box of technological practices for understanding and interrogating the assumptions we b i bring to those practices. h i
- 14. Part of that process will be a using displaced practices such as paper reading and hand-written journaling.