99-782 Technology, Humanity, and Social Justice: Environment
3 units, Carnegie Mellon University
As humans rely more and more on electronic devices to support their everyday activities, there are ever present warnings about the impacts such reliance has on human autonomy ranging from who owns and controls information networks, the inequitable impact of technology consumption on peoples and places, varying accessibility of technology around the globe, and the promises and limitations of technology in improving human health. By engaging in technology as a lens, this sequence of weekend microcourses encourages students to examine technology as a system disproportionately impacting humanity by enabling and constraining human rights of groups of people around the globe. With a multidisciplinary focus, the course invites researchers and practitioners from the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, and relevant fields more broadly. In Fall 2022, the focus will be on humanitys use of technology and the disparate impacts on and benefits to the environment and varying groups of people. This will include discussion around the material, environmental, and health costs of extracting materials necessary to technology development and production as well as the waste created by the consumption habits initiated by global reliance on technology. It will also include a discussion of technologys role in advancing sustainability. Added Note The course will occur on Friday, Mar. 14, Saturday, Mar. 15, and Sunday, Mar. 16. Engagement in the course should be synchronous accommodations for those in significant time zone differences will be provided to allow enrollment and completion of all elements of the weekend. If a student is interested in the course but unable to engage in the course dates, please reach out to Korryn Mozisek kmozisekandrew.cmu.edu.
Prerequisites: none listed
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