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Computers in Society:  2020-2021

Lecturers

Degrees

Schedule S1(CS&P)(3rd years)Computer Science and Philosophy

Schedule S1(3rd years)Computer Science

Schedule BMSc in Advanced Computer Science

Term

Overview

The course will be delivered using a combination of pre-recorded and live sessions, more details have been provided on the Teams channel for the course.

The course will focus on the role of computing technologies in contemporary society. It will introduce theoretical perspectives as well as empirical work to explore the relationships between technology and the ways in which societies are organised and in which people live their lives. Topics covered will include: online behaviour, Internet governance, machine learning bias, autonomous systems, the future of AI, and cyber security. We will cover some of the most pressing social, ethical, legal and policy questions that arise in the age of the information revolution and AI. We will consider the responsibilities of computing professionals,  individual rights, the role of governance and regulation, and what ethical computer science looks like in practice.

The main objectives of the course are to inform students about the role of computing in contemporary society, expose them to current debates surrounding the social, ethical, legal and policy questions in this area, encourage them to critically reflect and respond to these debates, and learn about how to engage with them in their own practice as (future) computing professionals.

For HT 2021 the course will be delivered online through a combination of live lecture sessions accompanied by some supplementary pre-recorded lectures.

Assessment will be based on a take home final essay (3000 words, references excluded) in which students will be assessed on their depth of understanding relating to key course topics, ability to draw on relevant literature, and demonstration of independent, critical thought. The course will be highly interactive in format; students will be expected to engage with the topics being discussed and collaborate with others in group work activities.




Learning outcomes

- A broad knowledge and understanding of the role of computing in contemporary societies.

- Awareness of pressing social, ethical, legal and policy questions arising in response to the contemporary innovation landscape.

- Ability to critically reflect on these kinds of social, ethical, legal and policy questions, and contribute to current debates in these areas.

- Consideration of the responsibilities of computing professionals

- Development of group work, collaborative and presentation skills.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for the course. However, students often enjoy the opportunity to contribute their own perspectives and background knowledge so may find it useful to keep up to date with contemporary debates and developments in computing via mainstream news media and industry journals – such as Communications of the ACM 

Synopsis

In HT 2021 the course will be conducted online. In weeks 1 to 8 students will attend live lecture and discussion sessions and may also be required to view supplementary recorded lectures ahead of the live sessions. Each week will cover a specific topic:

  1. How can we understand the relationships between computing and society?

  2. Social media: Freedom of speech and Individual rights online

  3. Digital Technologies and Political Power

  4. Machine learning: Bias in, bias out

  5. Autonomous vehicles: Morality in the machine?

  6. Potential futures of AI: governance, the environment, and future of work

  7. What is the responsibility of the computing practitioner?

  8. Ethics in practice: values, design and responsible innovation

 

 

Students taking the course will be divided into groups and each group will take 4 classes. These will be online and last for 1.5 hours. Students will be set a task which they must prepare and submit before each class. This will be marked and discussed during the class. Classes will begin in week 3.

Syllabus

Assessment is typically based on a take home final essay (3000 words, references excluded) in which students will be assessed on their depth of understanding relating to key course topics, ability to draw on relevant literature, and demonstration of independent, critical thought.

Reading list

 

There are no set texts for the course but it is recommended that students read/refer to the following:

Baase, S. (2013) A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal and Ethical Issues for Computing Technology (4th Edition), Pearson

Baecker, R. (2019) Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives, OUP

Johnson, D.G. (2009) Computer Ethics, (4th Edition), Pearson

The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: plato.stanford.edu

Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery’s conference on “Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency:” facctconference.org

 

Students will also be given/directed to chapters and papers from a variety of sources across the course. Sometimes it will be necessary to read them in advance of a particular lecture or class – students will be notified of this in advance of the relevant session.

 

Other Readings

For further general readings, students might like to read:

Attfield, R. (2012) Ethics: An overview, Bloomsbury Press.

Bartlett, J. (2017) The People Vs Tech: How the Internet is killing democracy (and how we can save it), Ebury Press

Costanza-Chock, S. (2020). Design Justice, MIT Press.

Floridi, L. and Taddeo, M. (2014) The Ethics of Information Warfare, Springer Press.

Heffernan, T. (Ed.) (2019) Cyborg Futures: Cross-disciplinary Perspectives on Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Palgrave Macmillan Press.

Jassenoff, S. (2016). The Ethics of Invention: Technology and the Human Future, Norton Press.

Lupton, D. (2015) Digital Sociology, Routledge Press

Ochigame, R. (2019). “The Invention of ‘Ethical AI’: How Big Tech Manipulates Academia to Avoid Regulation” The Intercept.

O’ Neil, C. (2017) Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy, Penguin Press.

Scherling, L. and DeRosa, A. (Eds) (2020), Ethics in Design and Communication: New Critical Perspectives, Bloomsbury Press.

van den Hoven, M.J., Doorn, N., Swiestra, T., Koops, B.J.,and Romijn, H.A. (Eds.) (2014) Responsible Innovation 1: Innovative Solutions for Global Issues, Springer Press.

Véliz, C. (2020). Privacy is Power, Penguin Press.

Vincent, J. (2019). “The Problem with AI Ethics: Is Big Tech’s embrace of AI ethics boards actually helping anyone?” The Verge.

Wakabayashi, D (2020). “Big Tech Funds a Think Tank Pushing for Fewer Rules. For Big Tech” The New York Times

Zuboff, S. (2019) The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, Penguin Press

Feedback

Students are formally asked for feedback at the end of the course. Students can also submit feedback at any point here. Feedback received here will go to the Head of Academic Administration, and will be dealt with confidentially when being passed on further. All feedback is welcome.

Taking our courses

This form is not to be used by students studying for a degree in the Department of Computer Science, or for Visiting Students who are registered for Computer Science courses

Other matriculated University of Oxford students who are interested in taking this, or other, courses in the Department of Computer Science, must complete this online form by 17.00 on Friday of 0th week of term in which the course is taught. Late requests, and requests sent by email, will not be considered. All requests must be approved by the relevant Computer Science departmental committee and can only be submitted using this form.