Overview
This course examines the ethical, legal, social, and professional responsibilities associated with computing technologies and data-driven systems. Students study consequentialism, deontology, virtue ethics, justice, care ethics, and rights-based reasoning, applying these frameworks to practical computing dilemmas.
Topics include privacy and informed consent, surveillance, data governance, algorithmic bias, fairness, explainability, accessibility, automation, misinformation, content moderation, cybersecurity, intellectual property, open-source licensing, environmental sustainability, digital divides, artificial intelligence, research ethics, professional codes, and responsible innovation.
Through case studies involving platforms, algorithms, biometric systems, autonomous technologies, health data, generative artificial intelligence, and public-sector computing, students identify stakeholders, distinguish facts from values, assess risks and power relationships, evaluate competing obligations, document ethical decisions, and recommend mitigation and governance strategies.
Learning Outcomes
- Apply major ethical frameworks to complex computing and data-governance scenarios.
- Evaluate computing systems for bias, privacy threats, safety risks, accessibility barriers, and unequal impacts.
- Interpret introductory legal requirements, technical standards, professional codes, and governance principles relevant to computing practice.
- Conduct structured ethical impact assessments that identify stakeholders, risks, uncertainties, and affected communities.
- Synthesize evidence into accountable, inclusive, and feasible system-design or governance recommendations.
- Communicate ethical reasoning, limitations, and uncertainty in written, oral, and collaborative formats.
- Defend reasoned recommendations concerning responsible innovation and professional computing practice.
Timetable
| Type | Length | Frequency | Period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 2 hours | Weekly | All semester |
| Tutorial | 1 hour | Weekly | All semester |
| Workshop | 2 hours | Fortnightly | All semester |
Assessment Schedule
| Type | Description | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment | Case analysis (2 × 10%) | 20.00% |
| Deliverable | Structured debate | 10.00% |
| Assignment | Ethical impact assessment | 25.00% |
| Assignment | Policy or design memorandum | 20.00% |
| Assignment | Reflective professional practice report | 10.00% |
| Exam | Final examination | 15.00% |
Prerequisites
Teaching Staff & Programs
This course is delivered jointly by faculty from the participating programs listed below. In line with the Douchewater Way, the University of Sexology tailors core instruction directly to each cohort's specific discipline — adapting curriculum to program needs rather than forcing students into a one-size-fits-all model. Learn more about our approach at The Douchewater Way.
