Academics

COMP 380H: Technology, Ethics, and Culture, 3 credits

IDEAs in Action: FC-VALUES

Professor Connor McMahon, UNC Department of Computer Science

This discussion-based, participatory course explores the personal, sociocultural, and ethical effects and implications of the development and use of computing technologies. Throughout the semester, students will analyze technology through a variety of ethical perspectives. We will ask fundamental questions such as, How should society balance innovation and public well-being? Who is responsible when technology causes harm? What does it mean for a technology to promote, or diminish, human flourishing?

Artificial intelligence serves as a central case study for exploring these questions. Students will develop a foundational understanding of how AI systems work, including machine learning and the semiconductor technologies that make modern computing possible. We will examine philosophical questions surrounding intelligence and consciousness while also considering practical issues such as AI governance, regulation, and public policy across different regions of the world. Particular attention will be given to the global political economy of AI, exploring how technological development often depends upon labor, natural resources, and environmental costs borne disproportionately by communities in the Global South.

The course also investigates the profound influence of social media on society. Students will evaluate both the benefits and unintended consequences of social platforms, considering their effects on communication, civic engagement, democratic institutions, mental health, and childhood development. We will examine how platform algorithms and interface design encourage engagement, raising important ethical questions about autonomy, manipulation, and corporate responsibility.

Finally, students will explore issues of privacy, surveillance, and cybersecurity. Topics include approaches to regulating personal information, ownership and control of digital data, facial recognition, and differential privacy. These discussions will encourage students to consider how societies can protect individual rights while enabling scientific innovation and progress.

By the end of the course, students will be able to critically analyze emerging technologies from multiple ethical perspectives, understand the technical foundations underlying major digital technologies, evaluate competing regulatory policy approaches, and thoughtfully engage with some of the most significant technological challenges facing society today.

This course welcomes all majors. No computer science experience is required.