Prof. Franklin
TWTh 11:00AM-1:15PM (Hunt 110)
Office Hours (Kemper 3021): TBA

Summer Session II 2014 (Aug 5 - Sep 11). Tues-Wed-Thurs 11am-1:15pm.

Textbook: Society, Ethics, and Technology (5th edition), by Morton Winston and Ralph Edelbach, Thomson-Wadsworth.

Catalog Description (Course Outline): foundations of ethics, views of technology, technology and human values, costs and benefits of technology, the character of technological change, the social context of work in computer science and engineering.

Expanded course description here. This course is developed by Prof. Phil Rogaway, and we will follow his overall structure and methods.

Grading: Your grade in this class will depend (roughly) on the following factors:

Classroom participation (30%): You are expected to participate fully in all of the classroom discussions. Please feel free to express your views.

Review reports (30%): These are brief reports (1-2 pages) on our course readings. Each review report must be turned in at the start of the class at which that course reading is discussed.

Term project (40%): This will be a deeper analysis of a topic, including a written report (approx. 10 pages), and an oral presentation. Here is a list of books that could be used for topics (although I have considered a very wide variety of topics to be suitable as well, so check with me beforehand if you have some other ideas you would like to pursue). There are two milestones for your written report. The first milestone is a 1-2 page proposal, which is due Fri 15 Aug. The second milestone is a 3-4 page draft, which is due Fri 29 Aug. The due date for your written report is Fri 12 Sept. Please email everything to me (using the email address franklin@cs.ucdavis.edu).

Class Policies: All written material submitted must be legible. Late work will not be accepted without a doctor's excuse. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Supplemental Material: The course readings are intended to be self-contained, but you might find it helpful to consult a good basic introduction to ethical decision making, such as "A Framework for Thinking Ethically", Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University, 2008 (originally in Issues in Ethics:1(2), Winter 1988).

Class Schedule:

Tues 5 Aug:
in-class activities: Watch "Food, Inc.".
read for next class: nothing

Wed 6 Aug:
discuss "Food, Inc."
in-class-read-and-discuss: ACM Code of Ethics and IEEE Code of Ethics.
read for next class (and write report): Stallman, Why Software Should Not Have Owners.

Thurs 7 Aug:
discuss Stallman.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Doctorow, How to Destroy the Book.
read for next class (and write report): Cowan, "Industrial Society and Technological Systems".

Tues 12 Aug: discuss Cowan.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (3-5, price gouging).
read for next class (and write report): Davis, "Constructing the Professional Responsibility of Engineers".

Wed 13 Aug: discuss Davis.
in-class-read-and-discuss Justice (21-23, trolley hypothetical, afghan goatherd).
read for next class (and write report): Sharkey, "The Automation and Proliferation of Military Drones and the Protection of Civilians".

Thurs 14 Aug: discuss Sharkey.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (31-35, utilitarianism).
read for next class: (and write report): Joy, "Why the future doesn't need us"..

Tues 19 Aug: Discuss Joy.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (58-61, libertarianism).
read for next class (and write report): Baker, "Final Jeopardy".

Wed 20 Aug: discuss Baker
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (76-79, civilian draft).
read for next class (and write report): Carr, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?".

Thurs 21 Aug: discuss Carr.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (108-113, Kant).
read for next class (and write report): MacKinnon, "Corporate Censorship".

Tues 26 Aug: discuss MacKinnon.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (140-142, Rawls).
read for next class: Kass, "Preventing a Brave New World".

Wed 27 Aug: discuss Kass.
in-class-read-and-discuss: Justice (184-186, Aristotle).
read for next class (and write report): Sandel, "The Case against Perfection".

Thurs 28 Aug: discuss Sandel.
Watch 1st half of "The Corporation"
read for next class: nothing

Tues 2 Sep: Watch 2nd half of "The Corporation"
discuss "The Corporation"
read for next class: nothing.

Wed 3 Sep: 5 student final presentations.

Thurs 4 Sep: 5 student final presentations.

Tues 9 Sep: 5 student final presentations.

Wed 10 Sep: 5 student final presentations.

Thurs 11 Sep: 5 student final presentations.