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 4 | sep 5 | sep 6 LEC 1: Introduction First day of classes |
sep 7 | sep 8 LEC 2: Discussion and flexible time Preparation: Have a go at the Moral Machine |
| sep 11 LEC 3: Algorithms and AI: justice and bias Preparation: Read Susskind, Future Politics, chapters 14, 15, 16 |
sep 12 | sep 13 LEC 4: Algorithms and AI: justice and bias Preparation: Read Friedman and Nissenbaum, Bias in Computer Systems |
sep 14 | sep 15 LEC 5: Discussion and flexible time |
| sep 18 LEC 6: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Read Nissenbaum, Accountability in a computerized society Preparation: Read Dennett, When HAL Kills, Who’s to Blame? |
sep 19 | sep 20 LEC 7: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Floridi and Sanders On the morality of artificial agents Preparation: Searle, Minds, Brains and Programs |
sep 21 | sep 22 LEC 8: Discussion and writing workshop #1 |
| sep 25 LEC 9: Algorithms and AI: autonomous decision making Preparation: Berlin, The Pursuit of the Ideal Preparation: Jarvis Thomson, The Trolley Problem |
sep 26 | sep 27 LEC 10: Algorithms and AI: autonomous decision making Preparation: Himmelreich, Never Mind the Trolley: The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles in Mundane Situations |
sep 28 | sep 29 LEC 11: Discussion and flexible time |
| oct 2 LEC 12: Algorithms and AI: autonomous decision making Preparation: Sharkey, Killing Made Easy: From Joysticks to Politics Preparation: Kimbrell, Cold Evil: Technology And Modern Ethics, sections I-IV Preparation: Lokhorst and van den Hoven, Responsibility for Military Robots |
oct 3 | oct 4 LEC 13: The new digital public sphere: accountability and explicability Preparation: Kuang, Can AI Be Taught to Explain Itself? Preparation: Danaher, The Threat of Algocracy: Reality, Resistance and Accommodation Preparation: Robbins, A Misdirected principle with a Catch: Explicability for AI |
oct 5 | oct 6 LEC 14: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Short paper #1 |
| oct 9 Indigenous Peoples' Day |
oct 10 | oct 11 LEC 15: The new digital public sphere: privacy and surveillance Preparation: Jarvis Thomson, The Right to Privacy Preparation: Véliz, In the privacy of our streets |
oct 12 | oct 13 LEC 16: The new digital public sphere: privacy and surveillance Preparation: Nagel, Concealment and Exposure Preparation: Susser, Information Privacy and Social Self-Authorship |
| oct 16 LEC 17: Discussion and flexible time |
oct 17 | oct 18 LEC 18: Writing workshop #2 |
oct 19 | oct 20 LEC 19: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedome of expression Preparation: Klonik, The New Governors: The People, Rules, and Processes Governing Online Speech |
| oct 23 LEC 20: 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 24 | oct 25 LEC 21: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedom of expression Preparation: Waldron, The Harm in Hate Speech, chapter 5 |
oct 26 | oct 27 LEC 22: Discussion and flexible time |
| oct 30 LEC 23: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Nguyen, Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles |
oct 31 | nov 1 LEC 24: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Sheff, How do you know? |
nov 2 | nov 3 LEC 25: Discussion and flexible time |
| nov 6 LEC 26: The digital good life: attention Preparation: Williams, Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy |
nov 7 | nov 8 LEC 27: The digital good life: attention DUE: Short paper #2 |
nov 9 | nov 10 LEC 28: Final project workshop |
| nov 13 LEC 29: The (digital) good life: authenticity Preparation: Nozick, The Examined Life, chapter 10 |
nov 14 | nov 15 LEC 30: The (digital) good life: authenticity Preparation: tbd |
nov 16 | nov 17 LEC 31: The (digital) good life: authenticity Preparation: Bloomfield, Social Media, Self-Deception, and Self-Respect Preparation: Vallor, Flourishing on facebook: virtue friendship & new social media DUE: Final project proposal |
| nov 20 LEC 32: Discussion and flexible time |
nov 21 | nov 22 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 23 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 24 Thanksgiving Recess |
| nov 27 LEC 33: 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 28 | nov 29 LEC 34: Automation and the future of work Preparation: Van Parijs, Why Surfers Should be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income |
nov 30 | dec 1 LEC 35: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Final project draft (optional) |
| dec 4 LEC 36: project presentations |
dec 5 | dec 6 LEC 37: project presentations |
dec 7 | dec 8 |
| dec 11 | dec 12 Last day of classes |
dec 13 DUE: Final project Exam period |
dec 14 Exam period |
dec 15 Exam period |
| dec 18 Exam period |
dec 19 Exam period |
dec 20 Exam period |
dec 21 Exam period |
dec 22 |