CoursesTechnology, Law & Ethics (New)
LAWM 5060

Technology, Law & Ethics (New)

What makes for a responsibly designed product? What duties do technologists have to ensure system security and protect user privacy? Who should be held accountable when artificial intelligence misbehaves? What constraints does intellectual property law place on product design and technologists’ latitude to experiment with technologies? As new technologies continue to emerge and shape both our lives and the world around us, they also raise novel, complex ethical questions that today’s engineers, tech entrepreneurs, other technology professionals are forced to confront. This course will introduce the legal frameworks and principles of ethical decision-making that enable technologists to identify their societal responsibilities, and to think critically through difficult issues. 

 

Instructor(s)
  • Justin (Gus) Hurwitz
Semester

Fall 2026

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abstract graphic in grey and white with hints of orange and blue showing law and technology icons
Each class, we will exercise the application of these principles as we examine and reason through real world ethical dilemmas at the cutting edge of technology, approaching the questions they raise from the perspectives of the technology professionals who actually face them.
Topics that will be explored this semester include cybersecurity, data protection, digital surveillance, artificial intelligence, environmental sustainability, open-source software, autonomous vehicles, and more. This section satisfies the Engineering Ethics Requirement for CIS students. Engineering students should enroll in section 002.
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