SOC V432 — Ethics, Society, and Technology
This upper-division course investigates the relationship between technological advances and the influence they have had on society throughout history. Students will develop an understanding of sociological theories as an ethical resource for analyzing how technology impacts both individual and collective civil, political, and human rights and issues related to autonomy, privacy, and identity, as well as how it reinforces power dynamics in society and its impacts on equity, justice, and fairness. Social and cultural changes are reviewed in the context of technology and ethical issues that society faces because of new technological advances. Students will analyze ethical problems in the research, funding, and applications of emerging technologies with a focus on the fields of technological advances.