Ethics Technology

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

For all its benefits, technology often complicates our moral world. This course will attempt to understand the moral terrain, both personally and socially, in advance of and in the wake of new technological developments. To do so, we will look at technological incursions into a range of domains of moral concern including: medicine (e.g., reproductive technology, genetic engineering), property and ownership (e.g., piracy), privacy (e.g., surveillance and big data), the environment (e.g., geoengineering, GMOs), social media (e.g., identity construction, bullying), warfare (e.g., drones, cyberwar). We will approach these topics by drawing from multiple and conflicting normative frameworks to illuminate key ethical concepts such as harm, beneficence, autonomy, rights, respect, etc. Reading lists and specific topics addressed vary from semester to semester and from instructor to instructor, as do required work and expectations. Please consult the syllabi posted online by individual instructors for more detail.