Ethics of Computer Science

A study of the political, ethical, and social dimensions of living in a world increasingly governed and defined by networked, computational systems, from their personal everyday impacts to their planetary ones. Drawing from a mix of historical and contemporary case studies, philosophy, and science fiction, students will explore frameworks for understanding technology not merely as artifact or product but as practice and ideology. As a final project, students will propose and prototype a framework for their own approach to ethical engineering and design. 

Prerequisites: None

Course Code: EID 278

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.