PHI (0154) 232 - Computer & Information Ethics

Credits: 3.00

Students will critically engage questions of philosophical ethics related to computer and information technologies from the standpoint of both software developers and end-users. Topics may include: privacy and data collection; property rights on the web; hacktivism; information distortion via social media; big data and policy decisions; algorithmic trading; and autonomous vehicles.

Prerequisite 1: ENG 107
Course Learning Goals: Students will develop their critical thinking and interpretive skills for analyzing and evaluating arguments in general.

Students will develop their capacity for spoken and written self-expression.

Students will increase their understanding of the philosophical debates on Computer & Information Ethics, including:

● What does a right to privacy protect and how this relates to activities on the web?

● Can Hacktivism be justified?

● How do conventional property rights relate to the internet?

● How does the method of big data analysis benefit or harm individuals or groups?

● What are the dangers and benefits of computer automation and autonomous systems?

Students will apply their increased understanding and developed skills in:

● making sense of current disputes regarding computing and information systems

● considering their own ethical rights and obligations regarding computing and information systems

● considering their own ethical responsibilities as future IT professionals

● forming their own arguments to rationally support their own convictions concerning computer and information ethics.