Computers in Society:  2021-2022

Overview

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.

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

Learning outcomes for this class:

• 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.

Skills that students will need to showcase as part of their examination assessment include:

• Demonstrating understanding of a written argument by summarising it in their own words.
• Demonstrating understanding of a written argument by applying it to other examples.
• Engaging with a theoretical perspective by applying it to examples and assessing how well it can explain those examples.
• Demonstrating awareness of current problems and controversies (this includes an understanding of the cause/s, scale and scope of an issue).
• Presenting an opinion and show how you came to that opinion (referring to counter opinions and a critical analysis of these opinions).
• Presenting and citing of evidence supporting answers and opinions (e.g., evidence from lectures, academic sources, journalistic articles).
• Clarity of writing.
• Clarity of argument.
• Engaging with different moral and social ideas, as well as facts.

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 2022 the course will be conducted online. Weeks 1 - 7 will be delivered online, and while week 8 (student presentations) is also planned to be delivered online, we are hopeful that week 8 will be delivered in-person. Lectures are intended to be interactive, and to develop students' discussion, presentation and debating skills. Each week will cover a specific topic (with invited expert speakers):

1. Computers in Society
   
2. A Digital Society (Bill Dutton; Stephanie Itimi)
3. Technology and Political Power (Lucas Kello)
4. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (Max Van Kleek; Anthony Hutton)
   
5. Interconnected Environments (Maria Lema; Ola Michalec)
6. Mechanisms of Change (Mahsa Alimardani)
   
7. Preparing for the Future (Asia Bee)
8. Student presentations

Students taking the course will be divided into groups and each group will take 4 classes. These will 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 be held in weeks 3, 5, 7 and 8.

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

Pre-reading (or a preparatory activity) will be required before each lecture. For a head start on course content, students are directed towards the following:

• Baase, S. (2013) A Gift of Fire: Social, Legal and Ethical Issues for Computing Technology (4^th Edition), Pearson
• Baecker, R. (2019) Computers and Society: Modern Perspectives, OUP
• Johnson, D.G. (2009) Computer Ethics, (4^th 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

Further general readings:

• 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

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.