If You Could, Would You? Exploring the ethical and moral questions of new technologies on the self

INSTRUCTOR: Gabriela Alvarez

SUMMER SECTION: RVNB – Summer B (Fully-Online) 

SPRING SECTION: UHB (Hybrid)

SCHEDULE: Tuesday, 12:00PM-1:15PM

In our pursuit of maximizing human potential, the implications of new technologies are often ill-conceived and can have dire ramifications. This course will use the British television science-fiction anthology Black Mirror to explore these ethical dilemmas centered around human enhancement. Furthermore, students will be challenged to consider if and how to mitigate these modern-day crises.

Emergent technologies can have unintended consequences frequently resulting in unexpected ethical dilemmas for consumers, businesses, organizations, governments, and society at large. Students will apply practical strategies for identifying and managing ethical issues at the intersection of human behavior, technology, and society.

Black Mirror is speculative fiction with futuristic elements that allow for envisioning possibilities of ethical implications that science and logic may not afford. By leveraging Black Mirror, students will vividly tap into previously unconsidered uses of technology and be presented with robust examples of ethical themes and their impact on society. Thus, enabling students to reflect and answer the question, could we and more importantly, should we.