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final_project_guidelines2.pdf
ENCS 393 Fall 2013 Final Project: Critical Technology Assessment This is project involves a presentation (done in pairs), giving feedback to your peers about their presentation (done in pairs), and writing a report (done individually). Preliminaries 1. With your partner, you will identify a new or emerging technology, service, or
technical method that interests you and that you feel will have significant social and ethical impacts. See notes in class about how to pick a good topic.
2. Think about who will be affected by this technology and how. Think about who is advocating for or against this technology. Utilize the three main concepts about the technology-‐society relationship that we have learned: technological determinism, socio-‐technical systems, and politics of technology.
3. Consider (first alone, and then with your partner) what value(s) is/are at stake here related to your technology, and how is it/are they compromised. We can define the term ‘values’ in this case to mean “things that people care about.” We will discuss many values throughout the class. But here are some to get you thinking: friendship, intimacy, vulnerability, imperfection, health, education, privacy, security, accessibility, convenience, creativity, democracy, environmental protection, economic gain, social order. This is by no means a comprehensive list.
4. Devise a definition for the key relevant values you identified as they relate to the technology.
5. Articulate the trade-‐offs in values and how ethical frameworks would judge these trade-‐offs.
Oral Presentation (10% of total grade) Presentation With your partner, you will present an 8-‐10 minute case study to the class, including the following material: 1. A very brief introduction to the technology (What is it? How does it work?) 2. Social meaning scenarios (Who may likely benefit or be harmed by it? How? Who is
taking a stance, advocating a position, and influencing the development of the technology? Think about multiple scenarios and about technology-‐society concepts.)
3. Ethical meaning of the technology (What values and rights does it enhance and endanger? How do the different ethical frameworks judge these value trade-‐offs? See 3-‐5 above.)
You are free to decide how you will present this material. The only constraints (beyond those of good common sense) is that all members must speak, and that the presentation fall within the 8-‐10 minute time frame.
You will lead the class in a short (5 minute) discussion after your presentation. You must have some questions prepared for the class to help in this task. You must make note of the topics and reactions that emerge in the discussion. Feedback (5% of your grade) In order to give good feedback, ask yourselves: How well did the team address the three points above? Was the presentation well structured? Were the team’s arguments clearly stated? Were the arguments well supported and convincing? Why or why not? Did the team seem prepared? How could the team improve their presentation style (organization, speed and pace, eye contact, posture, etc)? The team giving feedback will submit 100 to 250 words of pointed feedback that will make the presenters better thinkers and speakers. You will also give a letter grade (with plus/minus if appropriate). Remember, the goal of giving constructive criticism is to make the person you are criticizing better at a given task and NOT to make them feel bad. Don’t make it personal. You will submit a letter grade and 100 to 250 words of written feedback by 5:45 pm on the Wednesday after the presentation that you critiqued. You will email this directly to the two students whose presentation you graded and copy the email to me and the grader ([email protected]). The 5% of your grade for feedback will be broken down as follows: 2.5% based on letter grade you receive from your peers 2.5% based on how well you give feedback on someone else’s presentation Written Report (15% of total grade) In an extended essay, you will introduce and examine the social and ethical impacts of your technology (what you did in the presentation). You will then propose a re-‐ conceptualization of the object of study, bringing it into compliance with ethical practice, reduce or remove the ethical and social harm. You may organize the paper as you wish. But it must include the three points in the oral presentation and a substantial discussion of how you are re-‐conceptualizing the technology. When discussion the three main points covered in the presentation, you must incorporate the relevant ideas that came up in the discussion you led after your presentation, and the feedback that you received from your peers. You must engage with concepts from the class. When describing real or potential social harm or danger, utilize conceptions of the technology-‐society relationship discussed in the class (e.g. technological determinism, sociotechnical systems and politics of technology). When discussing social and ethical dilemmas, focus on trade-‐offs between values (e.g. privacy vs. security or convenience) and discuss how the different ethical
frameworks we’ve discussed in class provide guidance on how to navigate these trade-‐ offs (see week 4 notes and reading). Discuss where and how you and your partner disagreed on any value trade-‐offs. Or, if you were largely in agreement, discuss the process of how you came to that agreement. Be sure that you pay significant attention to how you propose to resolve the ethical dilemmas and social harm proposed by your case study. Think about the various actors involved and what they could do differently to resolve the social and ethical dilemmas. These include but are not limited to the following: governments, corporations, users/consumers, consumer advocacy groups and other advocacy groups, CS/IT students, CS/IT professors and teachers, and CS/IT professionals and professional associations. You do not have to discuss all these groups, but be sure to address the role of CS/IT professionals at some point. Potential resolutions could involve: changes to the technological design, new regulations or other government policies, changes in corporate practice or professional practice, changes in consumer behavior, new educational initiatives and so on. Be creative, but be realistic. You should discuss multiple solutions and analyze them in terms ethical frameworks and value trade-‐offs. Using this analysis, make an argument about which solution should be adopted. Discuss barriers to your potential solution. Bibliographic research and references may include published reports about the harm posed by the technology, the ensuing ethical dilemma, attempts to remediate the harms, relevant case studies, or promising solutions in other domains. The paper will be 1500 words in length. The expectation is that you will produce a technically-‐formatted document, using a formal form and the APA citation style guide. An introduction, discussion sections, and conclusion are expected. Remember to write the statement of academic integrity on the first page (see the syllabus) and sign it. These words do not count towards your 1500 word limit, nor do any words used in your works cited (bibliography) page. Papers will be graded for insight, completeness and form. The grading rubric posted on Moodle will serve as a general guide for evaluation. Papers will be submitted in hardcopy in class on Monday, December 2nd. You are free to submit your project earlier than this date, but December 2nd is the last day to submit the project.
