Welcome
to the
Graduate
Student
Workshop: Values in Computer and Information
System Design
Despite a
growing
body
of research and
scholarship dedicated both to theoretical and practical dimensions of
this important subject, institutional responses have been sporadic and
somewhat sparse. Several goals have motivated the design
of this
workshop:
- Deepen knowledge and
understanding
of the complex interplay between social, moral, political and cultural
values and technology through the aggregation and study of a diverse
canon of works;
- Create opportunities
for
collaborations among researchers and scholars (current and future)
historically separated by institutional, geographic, and disciplinary
boundaries;
- Reveal relevant
literatures,
approaches, and methodologies to graduate students, who might not, in
the normal course of their respective programs, see them;
- Promote the
development of collegial networks among established scholars and as
well as students.
In
the first week,
students will cover core readings of theoretical
works on the complex interplay between the design of information and
communications devices, systems, and infrastructures on the one hand
and social, ethical, and political values, on the other. The curriculum
will also cover approaches to design and design methodologies which
incorporate a broad vision of what it means to build
“good” systems.
The Workshop will place special emphasis on privacy and information
infrastructures.
In
the second week,
guest faculty, including major theorists and design
practitioners, will lead discussions and share their own work. A panel
of Silicon Valley leaders convoked on one day of the workshop will
reflect on how values bear on their own work in the corporate world. |