Given the role of CS111 as the first course for all CS majors and many others with an interest in CS, the course also aims to develop core skills in critical analysis of ethical issues with an emphasis on self-reflection, finding purpose, and intersectionality. Students are asked explore different “topic modules” that introduce broad topics in ethics.

Students must engage in 3 ethics related activities during the quarter:

  • One introductory module (this assignment) which covers the ethics of social media and introduces a framework for thinking about the impact of certain technologies.
  • Attendance at one topic module that students will select based on topic interest and availability. They will complete a short reading beforehand in order to be ready to discuss the topic and complete a short reflection after attending.
  • One final reflection module which asks students to reflect on their engagement with ethical issues and their relationship to technology by producing a short write-up comparing and contrasting the topics that students learned in topic modules (asynchronous during Week 11).

This first module serves as an introduction and is required for everyone. You have three tasks for this module:

  1. You must watch the short introductory video about ethics and Social Media Algorithms linked below.
  2. You must complete this Canvas assignment which is a short reflection about the topics presented in the video.
  3. You must sign-up for 1 additional topic module sometime during the quarter. More details below. You will receive a 0 for this assignment if you do not sign-up for a topics module by Wednesday, Oct 1st at 1pm.

Signing Up for a Discussion Section

Each week throughout the quarter (beginning in Week 3 and ending in Week 9), our Peer Mentor staff will lead Ethics Topics Modules. The 7 available modules are listed below:

  • Week 3 - Module 2 - Accessibility – Analyzing how technology can be designed for all audiences while also widening the digital divide
  • Week 4 - Module 3 - Accountability – An exploration of the Boeing 737 Max tragedy and scandal
  • Week 5 - Module 4 - Bias – Reflecting on bias in artificial intelligence
  • Week 6 - Module 5 - Identity – Navigating the complex terrain of technology and personal identity
  • Week 7 - Module 6 - Impact – Exploring how technology impacts individuals, communities, and societies
  • Week 8 - Module 7 - Labor – Analyzing how technology is producing new forms of labor and exploitation
  • Week 9 - Module 8 - Sustainability – How technology can promote sustainable futures and also has a large footprint itself

Your job is to select a module that appeals to you (or works for your schedule that week). Each module will be offered approximately 6 times through its respective week and enrollment in each session is capped at 12 students. You can view the available session dates & times below. You can sign-up by going to the People page on Canvas, either scrolling or searching for the session in question (it could be full), and sign-up for one by clicking the JOIN button.

Please choose your sign-up time carefully as you will not be able to switch sessions once you’ve signed up.

Attending your Discussion Section

Each discussion section will have a required pre-session “reading” assignment. Some might ask you to engage with a written article, while others may ask you to watch a Netflix show or listen to a podcast. You are expected to complete that reading assignment prior to coming to the session so that you are ready to discuss it during the session. After your session, you’ll be asked to complete a short Canvas assignment (similar to the one for this module) asking you to reflect on your experience.

Ethics Module 1 - Social Media Algorithms

Everyone is required to complete this module. First watch the video (embedded below) and then complete this Canvas assignment which is a series of short reflection questions.

Answer the question below in 3-5 thoughtful sentences (for each) and submit it via Canvas. You don’t need to use fancy prose, terminology, etc. Just respond with how you’re thinking. We want to hear your first thoughts.

  1. In what ways do you think that social media technologies are helpful and in what ways are they harmful? Why?

  2. Identify another technology that may pose similar issues to the ones explored in the video – what technology is it, what are those issues, and who is most at risk?

  3. What goals do you hope to achieve by learning computer science and how might learning about ethics in technology help you accomplish these goals?

If you find this topic interesting, feel free to peruse the below readings (which are both optional) which dive into more details.

1. Assigned Readings