PUBPOL 720/SI 621: Information, Ethics, and Applied Policy | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
PUBPOL 720/SI 621

PUBPOL 720/SI 621: Information, Ethics, and Applied Policy

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Level
Graduate
Term
Winter 2012
Credit Hours
3

The information revolution and the expanding use of information technology within all organizations, profit and non-profit, public and private, has created an environment in which access to massive quantities of information, at startling speeds, is now possible through electronic means. This discussion and lecture course will provide in-depth study of the development of moral and ethical reasoning. It will focus on the ethical and values issues that arise within this new information environment. It will explore and the information and technology related ethical dilemmas faced by individuals and institutions as they become familiar with, and adjust to, the impact of the new technologies. Participants will examine actual incidents that arise in personal interactions, as well as between individuals and organizations. Incidents will be discussed in relation to ethical, moral and social cognitive human development, conflicting values, existing literature, and law. Topics will include, among others, copyright, privacy, security, freedom of speech, personal boundaries, ownership, anonymity, and civil liberties. Participants will learn methods of issue analysis and will practice solving dilemmas by understanding the values and ethical issues surrounding the dilemmas.