TECH 5010 - Values at Play in Digital Technologies

Spring. 1 credit. Letter grades only (no audit).

Enrollment limited to: Cornell Tech students. Offered in New York City at Cornell Tech.

H. Nissenbaum.

Digital technologies raise important ethical questions. Although the focus is often on how ethical issues arise from ways people and organizations use these technologies, there is growing recognition that ethical values and actions are associated with the design and development of digital systems and devices—that the question of ethics must be addressed long before a product hits the market or sees widespread adoption. This course module introduces students to ethical thinking in the design and development of technical systems. With basic readings and introductory lectures, it provides students with a background in how to think about ethical values as a dimension of design and development. It adopts a framework known as “Values at Play” as a heuristic paradigm for putting these ideas into practice. Students are encouraged to apply this learning to their own projects.