Syllabus

Course Description and Importance

Computing technologies shape our personal, social, and political lives in increasingly complex and consequential ways – providing tremendous benefits (e.g. convenient access to information, connecting to one another across time and space) and harms (e.g. biased decision-making, mass surveillance, disinformation campaigns, and exclusion from critical material opportunities) that are important to examine and understand.

At the same time, these technologies are born and shaped by the societies in which they are developed. Thus, grappling with the ethics of technologies (i.e considering the harms and benefits, how and why they were created in the first place, and how and to what ends they are used) is important not only for ultimately creating more moral technologies but a more moral society. Thus, our approach to the ethics of computing technologies requires a multifaceted assessment of their harm and benefit to our individual, cultural, and political lives, and simultaneously a critical examination of the values, ideologies, and contexts through which computing technologies emerge.

To accomplish this, we will engage in critical reading across a range of topics drawn from computer science, science and technology studies, critical race studies, as well as ethics and philosophy. These readings and ideas will help us to:

1. Recognize the value judgements and subjectivities that undergird a wide variety of technical practices (e.g. sampling, data collection practices, categorization and classification, prediction, system design, etc.).
2. Examine the design choices and tradeoffs that various computing infrastructures make (and have made) in relation to important societal values (e.g. individual autonomy, free speech, equity, privacy, justice, security, access to opportunity, etc.).
3. Consider some of the intended and unintended consequences of computing applications within our communities, institutions, and social systems (e.g. schooling, employment, policing, transportation, business, etc.). This involves paying attention to who wins and who loses, as well as how these technologies might amplify existing marginalities and privileges.
4. Develop a variety of analytic lenses for examining computing technologies in terms of their social, ethical, and political consequences.

The course is open to all students. For CS majors, minors, and graduate students, the course aims to help students to consider and grapple with ethical dimensions of their work, in order to inform a more critical technical practice. For students coming into the class from other disciplinary vantage points, the course aims to provide a solid foundation for thinking about the possibilities, risks, and impacts of computer-mediated infrastructures on society.

Acknowledgements

This course was originally developed in collaboration with Dr. Sepehr Vakil, Dr. Sarah Van Wart, and Dr. Natalie Araujo Melo. This syllabus follows subsequent adaptations from Dr. Natalie Araujo Melo and Dr. Victoria C Chávez.

Required Texts

All assigned readings will be available as audio/video files or PDFs, no purchase required. If you would like to dive more in-depth into the topics we learn about, below are the books we will be reading chapters from (in chronological order):

1. Benjamin, R. (2019). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. John Wiley & Sons.
   • You may purchase it (recommended), of you can access it online through the Northwestern Library.
2. Costanza-Chock, Sasha (2020). Design Justice. The MIT Press.
   • Open access (yay!)

Course Format & Grading

The course format will consist of:

1. Readings and in-class discussions.
2. In-class activities to help students to consider the potential impacts of different kinds of technologies and design decisions.
3. Reflective writing assignments that will ask you to analyze the social and ethical dimensions of contemporary technology debates.

Office Hours

Office hours will be scheduled by appointment. See course Canvas for link.

Course grades will be composed of:

1. Participation (40%)
2. Midterm Scaffolds (30%)
3. Final Project (30%)

1. Participation (40%)

Your participation grade will be based on attendance, and on evidence that you are engaging with the readings (as shown through your in-class participation as well as through your Identity Journal entries).

Class Discussions

We will use classroom discussion as a form of collaborative sense-making to understand, critique, and interrogate the required course readings. Your timely and engaged attendance at every class is thus very important – both for you and for your classmates. Every student will need to participate in a thoughtful and productive manner in order for these discussions to be effective. Building on and reacting to other participants’ comments is encouraged, and should be done in a respectful tone even if you disagree. In order to participate fully, please do not let your laptop, phone, or other devices distract you or other participants.

Identity Journal

Each student will also create an “Identity Journal” that will be updated throughout the quarter, both during and outside of class. The Identity Journal will be a personalized space for you to keep track of how core themes of the class relate directly to your own lived experiences, identities, and perspectives. It will also serve as an artifact of your learning that will be useful to you beyond the class.

Attendance and Absence Policy

You are allowed ONE unexcused absence during the quarter, no questions asked. You should reserve these absences for the occasional emergency or illness. After one absence, your participation grade will be impacted.

3. Midterm Scaffolds (30%)

Due to the pace of this course, in lieu of a midterm paper, you will be assigned three midterm scaffolds during the first half of the term. For each scaffold, you will identify a quote from the related readings that resonated with you and answer questions in the form of 1-2 paragraphs of text or 2-3 minutes of video. You will receive feedback on your assignment within a few days of submission. Make sure to review the feedback as you craft your final.

4. Final Project (30%)

For your final assignment in this class, we want to push you to think about how you might want to contribute to a just, technologically-mediated future. You can think about this very broadly. For instance:

• Writing a piece of science fiction that explores the social / ethical implications of a particular socio-technical phenomenon.
• Prototyping an alternative platform/app that instantiates a set of ethical and political commitments
• Designing a set of interactive tools / activities / games to help people learn more about a social or ethical challenge.
• Creating a magazine or online journal of critical socio-techical thought
• Organizing a career fair that highlights a different set of possible career trajectories
• Making a documentary film
• Hosting a podcast series
• And more! We’ve curated a list of resources here that can give you some ideas.

You may work individually or in groups of no more than two people.

Other Grading Logistics

We will not be using the final exam time for this class because there is no midterm or final exam. Final grades are assigned on a fixed scale: 93-100 is an A, 90-92.99 is an A-, 87-89.99 is a B+, etc. Final course grades will not be curved.

Expectations

We are working very hard to ensure our course is as accessible as possible. If you have any suggestions for how we can make the course more accessible, please reach out to us. If you have any AccessibleANU accommodations, please contact us as soon as possible so that we may work together to support your success in this course.

• You will come to class prepared and ready to engage in an intellectual discussion about the readings.
• You will complete all assignments on time and with interest, engagement, and intellectual curiosity.
• You will bring your unique expertise, perspectives, and experiences to class and share them with others, so that we might all gain from your perspectives.
• You will respect and seek to understand the unique perspectives and experiences of others.
• You will give your classmates the benefit of the doubt (about their competence and intentions) and can expect the same from them.
• All work that you submit will be your own original work; you will cite others’ work where appropriate.

Course Learning Goals

1. Recognize the impact of one’s own assumptions, biases, and experiences

Students will appreciate and understand how their own assumptions, experiences, worldviews, social location, and identity categories can and do impact the design, implementation, and use of computing technologies. Our hope is that students across a range of majors will become more conscious, sensitive, ethically aware, and humble thinkers/doers in the world.

2. Identify (and question) dominant/normative ways of thinking about computing and technology

Students will learn some techniques for recognizing social values in computer-mediated systems. This includes being able to identify how these systems can and do extend and challenge the power and reach of particular political and economic systems, cultural traditions, and societal norms – for better or for worse.

3. Consider offerings and limitations of current tech ethics frameworks

Students will compare frameworks that are currently utilized in tech ethics spaces, and identify their strengths and weaknesses. In other words, what do people mean when they say or do work in “tech ethics”?

4. Develop and apply frameworks for thinking about the relationship between technology and society

Students will develop mental models for considering when, how, or even if technological solutions are appropriate in a given situation. There are many ways to solve problems and shape social outcomes (e.g. law, policy, institutional supports, technologies, educational initiatives, and so forth). As such, we hope that students will recognize and value many different forms of participation and action within sociotechnical systems, and think broadly and holistically about innovation and creative problem-solving.

5. Evaluate one’s individual and communal ethical participation in the world

Lastly, students will formulate ideas (or strengthen existing ones) around responsibility and care; specifically, how they might use their own and their community’s knowledge, skills, dispositions, and creativity to participate in the world going forward. This may involve taking some future action (big or small), calling others in or out, exploring a new idea, reading more about a topic, or something else, towards fostering a more ethical and just society.

Course and University Policies

On the Use of AI

We will attempt to tread a little lighter on the planet, at least in the context of this classroom. I take seriously the hidden environmental and human costs of AI so we will continue to minimize its use in this class and the resulting harm it causes. The Digital Apothecary has written a statement about AI in which we question its growing role in our world. There is no question that in this class, AI should not be used for course work as we are embarking on the very human process of creating our own stories.

Below, we have also included the following statements, written by the Provost’s office:

Academic Integrity

Students in this course are required to comply with the policies found in the booklet, “Academic Integrity at Northwestern University: A Basic Guide”. All papers submitted for credit in this course must be submitted electronically unless otherwise instructed by the professor. Your written work may be tested for plagiarized content. Any form of cheating, including improper use of content generated by artificial intelligence, constitutes a violation of Northwestern’s academic integrity policy. For details regarding academic integrity at Northwestern or to download the guide, see the University Academic Integrity Policy.

Accessibility

Northwestern University is committed to providing the most accessible learning environment as possible for students with disabilities. Should you anticipate or experience disability-related barriers in the academic setting, please contact AccessibleNU to move forward with the university’s established accommodation process (e: accessiblenu@northwestern.edu; p: 847-467-5530). If you already have established accommodations with AccessibleNU, please let me know as soon as possible, preferably within the first two weeks of the term, so we can work together to implement your disability accommodations. Disability information, including academic accommodations, is confidential under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

Prohibition of Recording of Class Sessions by Students

In this class, we will NOT be recording classes. Note from the Provost’s office:

Unauthorized student recording of classroom or other academic activities (including advising sessions or office hours) is prohibited. Unauthorized recording is unethical and may also be a violation of University policy and state law. Students requesting the use of assistive technology as an accommodation should contact AccessibleNU. Unauthorized use of classroom recordings — including distributing or posting them — is also prohibited.

Under the University’s Copyright Policy, faculty own the copyright to instructional materials — including those resources created specifically for the purposes of instruction, such as syllabi, lectures and lecture notes, and presentations. Students cannot copy, reproduce, display or distribute these materials. Students who engage in unauthorized recording, unauthorized use of a recording or unauthorized distribution of instructional materials will be referred to the appropriate University office for follow-up.

Support for Wellness and Mental Health

Northwestern University is committed to supporting the wellness of our students. Student Affairs has multiple resources to support student wellness and mental health. If you are feeling distressed or overwhelmed, please reach out for help. Students can access confidential resources through the Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Religious and Spiritual Life (RSL) and the Center for Awareness, Response and Education (CARE). Additional information on all of the resources mentioned above can be found here:

• https://www.northwestern.edu/counseling/
• https://www.northwestern.edu/religious-life/
• https://www.northwestern.edu/care/

Weekly Topics

Note that the schedule is dynamic and subject to change.