This module is about privacy in the age of big data and machine learning. The focus is two-fold: first, students are asked to think about why privacy might be important (especially in an era where almost all of our data is already collected and many of us intentionally post information online), and second, students are tasked with evaluating 3-4 different conceptions of privacy and assessing whether they actually offer the kinds of protections we think are valuable. The course is a very introductory level CS course which covers basic programming concepts and the history of the field. The module is therefore also very general in order to fit with the aims and scope of the course.

This module asks students to consider the relationship between software design and moral responsibility. The module works by proposing a basic principle of moral responsibility, and then presenting the students with case studies meant to problematize that basic principle in various ways to show how complicated the notion of moral responsibility can get. This course is about the design of computer programs, so the module focuses on the moral responsibility of programmers with respect to designing and producing these systems. The primary consideration in question is whether programmers (or the companies they work for) bear some responsibility for the impacts of their products. If the answer is yes, then “designing well” must include some consideration of designing ethically. Importantly, this module was run by the CS coursehead, so the module instructor guide may deviate slightly from the slides, and there may be aspects of the instructor guide that are missing information.

This module immerses students in the ethical evaluation of real-world software projects through a collaborative, “red teaming” format inspired by the Ethics Bowl. As part of the course, students are already working in teams on software projects, which form the basis for this exercise. Prior to the module, each team prepares a concise summary of their project, detailing aims, stakeholders, deployment plans, and data sources. This summary is then shared with another team playing the role of their “red team”—i.e., a group acting as adversaries who are looking for possible problems with the software. The red team’s job is to critically assess the project from a moral standpoint, identifying possible ethical pitfalls, stakeholder concerns, and potential public relations risks. During the class session, teams meet in pairs to present their critiques, engage in constructive discussion, and practice responding thoughtfully to ethical challenges. This interactive process encourages students to anticipate objections, refine their ethical reasoning, and consider the broader impact of their work. The session culminates in classroom-wide presentations, offering further opportunities for peer feedback and exchange of ideas.

This module is designed around a data management board game. In groups, students are divided into one of three roles: developers, user-experience designers, and managers respectively. Developers care about the product working efficiently and effectively. User-experience designers care about user trust and loyalty. Managers are tasked with balancing the interests of developers and user-experience designers. After playing the game, group discussions help students deliberate about heuristics for navigating trade-offs and trade-off negotiations.