Course Description: This course provides a comprehensive overview of important legal and ethical issues pertaining to the full life cycle of data science. The student learns how to think through the ethics of making decisions and inferences based on data and how important cases and laws have shaped the data science field. Students will use real and hypothetical case studies across various domains to explore these issues.
Course Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this course, students will:
- Recognize the moral problems brought about the introduction of information technology and data science
- Identify, analyze and apply critical reasoning to ethical issues confronted by practicing data scientists.
- Know the concepts of intellectual property and the legal safeguards for protection and fair use.
- Understand the impact of bias and what constitutes data privacy
- Recognize the competing interests of personal privacy and public safety, and the government’s influence.
Reference: Ethics for the Information Age, 7th Edition by Michael J. Quinn ISBN: 9780134296548, 0134296540
Tentative Schedule
Weekly schedule changes every semester. A full list of references and articles will be provided in the beginning of the semester.