635.782.8VL - Ethics in Intelligent Systems
Description
This course is to fortify and enrich the values-assessment and critical thinking skills of engineers as they grapple with the numerous ethical challenges in their professional and personal lives. To that end, the course will define and delineate some global, macro-level concepts and approaches to ethics; move on to review some ethical issues unique to engineers as they apply intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning to developing complex systems; and finally present some finite cases studies and concrete situations by which to apply these ethical principles. This class will stimulate students to help identify a critical thinking zeitgeist and framework by which to filter, absorb and resolve complex ethical problems and questions in both their professions and at the personal level. This class will be completely value-neutral and hence devoid of any one overarching governing ethical school of thought; thus, we are ecumenical in our approaches. Having said that, the IEEE ethically aligned design standards are noteworthy and very salutary to any exploration. This course will make use of a variety of current, recent historical and classical materials to illustrate major themes.
Instructor
Arthur Reynolds
Course Structure
ATTENDANCE AT THE ZOOM SESSIONS IN PERSON IS MANDATORY AND A FULL EXPECTATION OF THIS CLASS. FAILURE TO ATTEND THE ZOOM SESSIONS IN PERSON WILL BE A NEGATIVE IN GRADING AND CAN RESULT IN AN F AS THE RESEARCH PAPER IS worth 35% of the Course overall grade. Module Zooms are worth 65% in total. PARTICIPATION IN THIS CLASS IS STRONGLY BASED ON THE STUDENT'S ROLES.
Course Topics
Note-all information in detail is provided on Day one and via the Modules
Course Goals
Encourage critical thinking in all aspects of ethics and AI. Encourage academic freedom and extemporaneous communication skills.
Textbooks
NONE. MODULES CONTAIN ALL MATERIALS.
Student Coursework Requirements
MANDATORY ATTENDANCE AT ZOOM VIRTUAL LIVE SESSIONS- 65% OF COURSE GRADE.....THESE ARE NOT OPTIONAL. STUDENTS WILL BE GIVING PRESENTATIONS.
RESEARCH PAPER- 35% OF OVERALL COURSE GRADE AS POSTED IN MODULES
Grading Policy
PLEASE SEE ABOVE.
Course Evaluation
MANDATORY ZOOM SESSIONS- 65% OF GRADE
RESEARCH PAPER- 35% OF COURSE GRADE
Academic Policies
Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses
Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.
Academic Misconduct Policy
All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students. This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.
Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility
Johns Hopkins University is committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. If disability accommodations are needed for this course, students should request accommodations through Student Disability Services (SDS) as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements. For further information about this process, please refer to the SDS Website.
Student Conduct Code
The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/
Classroom Climate
JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).
Course Auditing
When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.