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 1 | sep 2 | sep 3 LEC 1: Introduction First day of classes |
sep 4 | sep 5 LEC 2: Discussion and flexible time |
| sep 8 LEC 3: Algorithms and AI: justice and bias Preparation: Read Susskind, Future Politics, chapters 14, 15, 16 |
sep 9 | sep 10 LEC 4: Algorithms and AI: justice and bias Preparation: Friedman and Nissenbaum, Bias in Computer Systems |
sep 11 | sep 12 LEC 5: Discussion and flexible time |
| sep 15 LEC 6: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Nissenbaum, Accountability in a computerized society Preparation: Dennett, When HAL Kills, Who’s to Blame? (optional) |
sep 16 | sep 17 LEC 7: Algorithms and AI: responsibility Preparation: Searle, Minds, Brains and Programs Preparation: Floridi and Sanders On the morality of artificial agents (optional) |
sep 18 | sep 19 LEC 8: Writing workshop |
| sep 22 LEC 9: Algorithms and AI: autonomous decision making Preparation: Berlin, The Pursuit of the Ideal (read, no annotation assignment) Preparation: Jarvis Thomson, The Trolley Problem |
sep 23 | sep 24 LEC 10: Algorithms and AI: autonomous decision making Preparation: Himmelreich, Never Mind the Trolley: The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles in Mundane Situations |
sep 25 | sep 26 LEC 11: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Short paper critique |
| sep 29 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 |
sep 30 | oct 1 LEC 13: Algorithms and AI: 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 2 | oct 3 LEC 14: Discussion and flexible time |
| oct 6 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 7 | oct 8 LEC 16: The new digital public sphere: privacy and surveillance Preparation: Nagel, Concealment and Exposure Preparation: Susser, Information Privacy and Social Self-Authorship |
oct 9 | oct 10 LEC 17: Discussion and flexible time |
| oct 13 Indigenous Peoples' Day |
oct 14 | oct 15 LEC 18: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedom of expression Preparation: Klonik, The New Governors: The People, Rules, and Processes Governing Online Speech |
oct 16 | oct 17 LEC 19: Writing workshop |
| oct 20 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 21 | oct 22 LEC 21: The new digital public sphere: content moderation and freedom of expression Preparation: Waldron, The Harm in Hate Speech, chapter 5 |
oct 23 | oct 24 LEC 22: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Concepts and tensions essay |
| oct 27 LEC 23: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Nguyen, Echo Chambers and Epistemic Bubbles |
oct 28 | oct 29 LEC 24: The new digital public sphere: (mis-/dis-)information Preparation: Sheff, How do you know? |
oct 30 | oct 31 LEC 25: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Final project question |
| nov 3 LEC 26: The digital good life: attention Preparation: Williams, Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy |
nov 4 | nov 5 LEC 27: The digital good life: attention |
nov 6 | nov 7 LEC 28: Writing workshop #3 |
| nov 10 LEC 29: The (digital) good life: authenticity and creativity Preparation: Nozick, The Examined Life, chapter 10 |
nov 11 | nov 12 LEC 30: The (digital) good life: authenticity and creativity Preparation: tbd |
nov 13 | nov 14 LEC 31: Discussion and flexible time |
| nov 17 LEC 32: The (digital) good life: flourishing Preparation: Bloomfield, Social Media, Self-Deception, and Self-Respect Preparation: Vallor, Flourishing on facebook: virtue friendship & new social media |
nov 18 | nov 19 LEC 33: The (digital) good life: self-quantification Preparation: tbd |
nov 20 | nov 21 LEC 34: Discussion and flexible time DUE: Argumentative outline and sketch |
| nov 24 LEC 35: Writing workshop #4 |
nov 25 | nov 26 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 27 Thanksgiving Recess |
nov 28 Thanksgiving Recess |
| dec 1 LEC 36: 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? |
dec 2 | dec 3 LEC 37: Automation and the future of work Preparation: Van Parijs, Why Surfers Should be Fed: The Liberal Case for an Unconditional Basic Income |
dec 4 | dec 5 LEC 38: Class wrap-up |
| dec 8 | dec 9 | dec 10 | dec 11 Last day of classes |
dec 12 Exam period |
| dec 15 DUE: Final project artifact Exam period |
dec 16 Exam period |
dec 17 Exam period |
dec 18 Exam period |
dec 19 Exam period |