CSCI 3921W - Social, Legal, and Ethical Issues in Computing
Fall 2026
Adriana Picoral
Course description: Impact of computers on society. Computer science perspective of ethical, legal, social, philosophical, political, and economic aspects of computing.
Intro to the course
For this module we will focus first-and-foremost on getting the class started. We’ll be seeing the basic class design, learning what are the parts of the class, and how they will help us learn. We will also start our discussions on the relationship between technology and society, and your position/identity in relation to technology and society.
By the end of this module you should be able to:
- Decide whether CSCI 3921W is a course for you
- Prepare for what we will do to learn, and why
- Explain the difference between different technology philosophies (instrumentalist vs. determinism)