Ethics for Computer Science & Engineering

Spring 2026
Vincenzo D'Andrea | James Brusseau
vincenzo.dandrea@unitn.it | jbrusseau@pace.edu
Mondays, A107 17:30 - 19:30 p.m. 
Tuesdays, A107 15:30 - 17:30 p.m. 
UniTrento website

Course objectives, learning outcomes, learning strategy

Explore the contemporary ethics of computer science and engineering with thought experiments, discussion, and case studies. Students will learn the central ethical principles guiding today’s information technology, and apply the theory in the real world.

Ultimately, students will be equipped to to develop ethical understandings of their own work. They will also be able to respond to ethics committees, and to produce AI ethics evaluations, sometimes referred to as AI ethics audits / Algorithmic impact statements.

This is a learning-by-doing course. It is designed for participation, collaboration, and to be taken in-person.

 

Entrance requirements

None

 

Contents

1. Ethics principles. Principles employed in today's Computer Science, Engineering, and AI ethics.
1. Individual principles: Autonomy, Human Dignity, Privacy
2. Social principles: Fairness, Solidarity, Sustainability/Social wellbeing
3. Technical principles: Performance, Safety, Accountability
2. Ethics theories. The underlying theory of applied ethics.
1. Deontological ethics: Kant, Rights, Fairness (Aristotle/Rawls)
2. Consequentialist ethics: Utilitarian, Enlightened Egoism (Adam Smith & Silicon Valley)
3. Culturalist ethics: Post Nietzscheanism
3. Selected contemporary debates in the philosophy and ethics of computer science and artificial intelligence.
1. Privacy versus social wellbeing, User autonomy, freedom and authenticity, Statistical fairness, Causal AI, Explainable AI, Data ownership, Digital twins, and similar.
2. Extended list here

 

Teaching and learning methods and activities

As ethics is learned by doing, students will be asked to contribute to class discussion, to participate in a group presentation on an issue in applied ethics, and finally to present an ethical evaluation of their own work.

Most of the course hours will be lecture and case study discussion led by the professors. 

The remainder will be student presentations. There will be two kinds of presentations. In one, students will work in groups to learn about selected ethical debates in computer science and engineering, and then they will present their findings to the class. The second presentation will occur at the end of the semester, and students will individually describe an ethical evaluation of their own work.