Details get filled in as the course progresses
This term has 28 class meetings (two were stolen without your consent)
The on-line reader has links to most of the readings.
The
S19 schedule and
S19 class.
The
F19 schedule and
F19 class.
ECS 188 – Ethics in an Age of Technology – Spring 2023 – Phillip Rogaway |
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Class | How we spent the class: | For today you need to: | Comments: | |
1M 4/03 | Two hour class. Meet the TA, Sydney Wood, and me. Questionaire. Watch Dekalog 1 (alt link) (in class). | Show up (attendance is mandatory through the end of week 2) | See Wednesday’s slot for assignments due before your section meets on Wednesday. | |
1W 4/05 | Q1. We discussed Dekalog. | (a) Read the Course Information sheet. (b) Read A Brief Note to the Student. (c) Submit HW2 (there is no HW1; it’s on the survey you did). Recall that homeworks are submitted on Gradescope |
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1F 4/07 | Q2. We discussed the two science fiction readings. | (a) Read The Machine Stops (1909) by E.M. Forster. (b) Read The Murderer (1953) by Ray Bradbury | Science Fiction day! | |
2M 4/10 | Q3. We discussed some vocabulary, ethical relativism, utilitarianism, and deontology. | Read Philosophical Ethics by Deborah Johnson (2001) | Read critically, thinking about ways in which the described systems fall short | |
2W 4/12 | Q4. Then we broke into small groups and discussed most of the Jonas reading. | (a) Read The Altered Nature of Human Action by Hans Jonas (1984) (vocabulary list). (b) Watch: The Superior Human? (2012) | . | |
2F 4/14 | Q5. Discussed the final project. Finished presentations on Jonas reading. Discussed Land Ethic. Discussed Superior Human film. | Read The Land Ethic by A. Leopold (1949). | Another documentry on Chomsky’s work: Manufacturing Consent (1993) | |
3M 4/17 | Q6. Discussed the tree. Made a chart on tech optimism vs. tech pessimism. Started film (about 30/40 mins in). | (a) Finishing environmental ethics: Read Oldest Living Tree Tells All by Michael Cohen (1998). (b) Read Views of Technology by Ian Barbour (1993). | . | |
3W 4/19 | Q7. Discussed Berman reading and Chomsky film. We looked at images of the changing city. In Sect 1 listened to NPR report on Carter's "malaise speech" | (a) Read Why America Failed by Morris Berman (2011). (b) Watch: Requium for the American Dream (2015). | . | |
3F 4/21 | Small-groups discussions of ethical scenarios from Sara Baase's book | Start reading Industrial Scoeity and Its Future by Theodore Kaczynski (1995). (b) HW3: As you read, write about two sentences to summarize each (all-caps titled) section. Together, your prose should form a cogent summary of Kaczynksi’s essay. You may have until Sunday evening to turn this in. | The Unabomber and the origins of anti-tech radicalism by Sean Fleming (2022) | |
4M 4/24 | We finished doing scenarios from the Baase book. Then Q8. Then we discussed the Kaczynski manifesto. | (a) Finish the Kaczynski reading. Upload HW3 (described above) by Sunday night. (b) Draft project-proposals due tonight, submitted in the shared Google Sheets. | Films about TK: Unabomber · Ted K | |
4W 4/26 | Q9. We discussed The Corporation. | Project-approval deadline tonight. (a) Watch The Corporation (2004/2016) (Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott) (YouTube version) (support independent and documentry filmmaking by paying a few dollars) | The New Corporation (2020) (Jennifer Abbott, Joel Bakan) | |
4F 4/28 | Sect1, outside Wickson, heard from Haven Kiers. ChatGPT response. (b) Discussed the two readings. | (a) Read Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? (Jean Twenge, 2017). (b) Read How Technology is Hijacking Your Mind (Tristan Harris, 2016). | . | |
5M 5/01 | Q10. Karim Abou Najm. Why We Fight. Is overseas militarism related to domestic violence? | (a) Read: Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation (1961). (b) Watch: Why We Fight (2005) (Eugene Jarecki) | . | |
5W 5/03 | Q11. Discussed McLuhan. Watched a short video. | Read a Marshall McLuhan interview (1969) (some vocabulary for it). | . | |
5F 5/05 | Q12. Discussed Bill Joy Reading and ChatGPT. | (a) Read Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us by Bill Joy (2000). (b) Find and read at least one news article about ChatGPT / large language models. Come prepared to talk about it. | . | |
6M 5/08 | Q13. We watched Testament (1983) | Start reading Ishmael (Daniel Quinn) (1995). Read roughtly the first half. | Testament at 20 (26 mins) · The Last Testament (Carol Amen) (short story film is based on) | |
6W 5/10 | Q14. We discussed Testament. And the street-sweeper bristles. | Continue reading Ishmael. Finishing by today is recommended. | . | |
6F 5/12 | Q15 (worth double). We discussed Ishmael. | Finish reading Ishmael. I scrapped having an essay on it due today. | . | |
7M 5/15 | We spoke about students not doing well on the Ishmael quiz. We watched Racing Extinction (2015) | Start reading This Civilisation is Finished (Kindle or Paperback) (Rupert Read and Samuel Alexander) (2019) | By the same filmmaker: The Cove (2009) (Academy Award for Best Documentary) | |
7W 5/17 | Q16. Watched a short video and discussed the RR book. | Finish reading This Civilisation is Finished. | More R. Read: video-1 | |
7F 5/19 | We discussed Racing Extinction. Students talked about the news articles they read. | (a) News-article day. Find and read a good article about the topic that you suggested on Monday’s attendance list. (b) HW4: Write a 1-paragraph summary of your article (include a traditional and hyperlink reference) followed by a 1-paragraph personal-analysis of it. Submit on Gradescope. | Example political soungs: This is America (Donald Glover) · 99 Red Balloons (Nena) | |
8M 5/22 | First half of class we continued to listen to student new articles. Second half we watched Black Mirror: Hang the DJ . | Milestone 2 due for groups presenting on day-1. No other HW: be working on your projects! | . | |
8W 5/24 | Q17. We discussed the Black Mirror episode we watched. We discussed the Schmidt reading. | Milestone 2 due for groups presenting on day-2. Read Disciplined Minds (Jeff Schmidt) (2000) | . | |
8F 5/26 | Q18. Giving good talks. Sect-1: Sandra visits, sustainability. Sect-2: Cars. | Milestone 2 due for groups presenting on day-3. Read Pinto Fires and Personal Ethics. Watch Dirty Money: Hard NOx | . | |
9M 5/29 | Holiday: Memorial Day | . | . | |
9W 5/31 | Q19.We discussed the three films. | (1) Watch one of the following three films: (a) Earthlings (2015) (or youtube); (b) Cowspiracy (2014); or (c) Food Inc. (2008) (or youtube). If you have seen one already, choose a different one. The first one is deeply disturbing and I recommend watching it with someone. Come prepared to talk about the film you watched. (2) Complete your two peer-reviews before 10am. If you can finish early, please do. | . | |
9F 6/02 | Q20. We discussed the ACM Code. Then we discussed dying, death, and the Gawande reading. | (a) Read the ACM Code of Ethics (2018). (b) Read Being Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) | . | |
10M 6/05 | Student presentations 11x and 12x | (a) Sect 1: Read
p111 · p112 · p113 · p114 · p115 · p116. Sect 2: Read p211 · p212 · p213 · p214 · p215 · p216. (b) HW5: Bring a single page, name on top, with 1–3 sentences of comments on each of the six paper that you read. Skip your own paper if you are presenting. |
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10W 6/07 | Student presentations 21x and 22x |
(a) Sect 1: Read
p121 · p122 · p123 Sect 2: Read p221 · p222 · p223. (b) HW6: Bring a single page, typed, name on top, with 1–3 sentences of comments on each of the three paper that you read. Skip your own paper if you are presenting. |
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11R 6/15 | 10:30 am: Final for Section 1 (10 am section). Student presentations 13x. Closing remarks. | Read
p131 · p132 · p133 |
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11R 6/15 | 6 pm: Final exam for Section 2 (2 pm section). Student presentations 23x. Closing remarks. | Read
p231 · p232 · p233. |
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