Please assume that the material and schedule for future meetings may change. If you are particularly interested in some topic not covered here, send an email to Julia.
All the readings for the weeks ahead will be available on Canvas, unless they are available as an ebook from the library. In that case, there will be a link on the schedule.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| sep 7 | sep 8 | sep 9 LEC 1: Introduction Preparation: Fill in the course survey First day of classes |
sep 10 | sep 11 LEC 2: Discussion |
| sep 14 LEC 3: Algorithms and AI: justice Preparation: Read Susskind, Future Politics, chapters 14, 15, 16 |
sep 15 | sep 16 LEC 4: Algorithms and AI: justice Preparation: Friedman and Nissenbaum, Bias in Computer Systems |
sep 17 | sep 18 LEC 5: Discussion and writing workshop |
| sep 21 LEC 6: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Nissenbaum, Accountability in a computerized society Preparation: Dennett, When HAL Kills, Who’s to Blame? (optional) |
sep 22 | sep 23 LEC 7: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Searle, Minds, Brains and Programs Preparation: Floridi and Sanders On the morality of artificial agents (optional) DUE: Survey |
sep 24 | sep 25 LEC 8: Discussion DUE: Essay #1 |
| sep 28 LEC 9: Algorithms and AI: autonomy Preparation: Himmelreich, Never Mind the Trolley: The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles in Mundane Situations Preparation: Jarvis Thomson, The Trolley Problem |
sep 29 | sep 30 LEC 10: Algorithms and AI: autonomy Preparation: Sharkey, Killing Made Easy: From Joysticks to Politics Preparation: Lokhorst and van den Hoven, Responsibility for Military Robots |
oct 1 | oct 2 LEC 11: Discussion |
| oct 5 LEC 12: Algorithms and AI: knowledge and skills Preparation: TBD |
oct 6 | oct 7 LEC 13: Algorithms and AI: knowledge and skills Preparation: Crawford, The World Beyond Your Head |
oct 8 | oct 9 Midterm Quiz #1 |
| oct 12 Indigenous Peoples' Day |
oct 13 | oct 14 LEC 14: The new digital public sphere: privacy and surveillance Preparation: Véliz, In the privacy of our streets Preparation: Véliz, The Ethics of Privacy and Surveillance, chapter 8> |
oct 15 | oct 16 LEC 15: The new digital public sphere: privacy and surveillance Preparation: Nagel, Concealment and Exposure Preparation: Susser, Information Privacy and Social Self-Authorship |
| oct 19 LEC 16: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedom of expression Preparation: Mill, On Liberty, chapter II: Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion Preparation: recommended, not required: Balkin, Digital Speech and Democratic Culture: A Theory of Freedom of Expression for the Information Society |
oct 20 | oct 21 LEC 17: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedom of expression Preparation: Waldron, The Harm in Hate Speech, chapter 5 |
oct 22 | oct 23 LEC 18: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Essay #2 |
| oct 26 LEC 19: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Nguyen, Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles |
oct 27 | oct 28 LEC 20: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Sheff, How do you know? |
oct 29 | oct 30 LEC 21: Discussion and flexible time |
| nov 2 LEC 22: The digital good life: attention Preparation: Williams, Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy |
nov 3 | nov 4 LEC 23: The digital good life: attention Preparation: TBD |
nov 5 | nov 6 LEC 24: Discussion and flexible time |
| nov 9 LEC 25: The (digital) good life: authenticity Preparation: Nozick, The Examined Life, chapter 10 |
nov 10 | nov 11 LEC 26: The (digital) good life: authenticity Preparation: Leuenberger, Authenticity in the ethics of human enhancement |
nov 12 | nov 13 Midterm Quiz #2 |
| nov 16 LEC 27: The (digital) good life: automation and the future of work Preparation: Keynes, Economic Possibilities for our Grandchildren Preparation: Elster, Is there (or should there be) a right to work? |
nov 17 | nov 18 LEC 28: The (digital) good life: automation and the future of work Preparation: Van Parijs, Why Surfers Should be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income |
nov 19 | nov 20 LEC 29: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Essay #3 |
| nov 23 LEC 30: The (digital) good life: relationships Preparation: Bloomfield, Social Media, Self-Deception, and Self-Respect Preparation: Vallor, Flourishing on facebook: virtue friendship & new social media |
nov 24 | nov 25 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 26 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 27 Thanksgiving Recess |
| nov 30 LEC 31: The (digital) good life: self-quantification Preparation: TBD |
dec 1 | dec 2 LEC 32: The (digital) good life: self-quantification Preparation: TBD |
dec 3 | dec 4 LEC 33: Class wrap-up |
| dec 7 | dec 8 | dec 9 | dec 10 | dec 11 |
| dec 14 | dec 15 | dec 16 DUE: Final project artifact |
dec 17 Final Quiz |
dec 18 |