Computing and Society

Marcos M. Raimundo
Aug 9, 2026

This course proposes a critical and applied reflection on the transformative role of technology in the contemporary world. Far from being a purely technical or neutral activity, computing is approached as a deeply human and social practice whose architectural choices, algorithms, and business models directly impact people’s lives, democracy, the environment, and labor relations.

Final Objectives

The primary goal of the course is to enable future computing professionals and researchers to expand their analytical and ethical repertory. By offering concepts, methodologies, and tools to anticipate moral conflicts, identify algorithmic biases, and integrate social values into the software development lifecycle, students transition from philosophical and normative foundations to practical methodologies for responsible innovation and ethical design.

Course Content

Click on each lesson to access its detailed planning and study materials.

Part 1: Foundations of Computing and Ethics

  • Lesson 1: Computing as a Socio-Technical System (Slides)

    • Objectives: Understand that computing is not composed solely of technical elements (hardware and software), but constitutes a socio-technical system where technology, human beings, organizations, and culture mutually influence each other.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to analyze computing artifacts within their broader social, cultural, and organizational contexts, identifying non-technical feedback loops and systemic impacts.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 1: The Responsibilities of Engineers (esp. §1.6, “The Social Context of Technological Development”).
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 10: Cultura na Prática da Computação — correção: a referência original (“Vol. 2, Capítulo 2: Análise Cultural de Sistemas Computacionais”) não existe no livro; o Vol. 2 não tem Capítulo 2 (a numeração começa no Cap. 9), e o Capítulo 2 do Vol. 1 é sobre pós-graduação, sem relação com o tema. Substituído pelo capítulo real mais próximo tematicamente.
      • Steen (2022) – Chapter 3: Is Technology a Neutral Tool? — leitura complementar adicionada nesta sessão; cobre exatamente a tese da não-neutralidade e da coformação mútua entre pessoas e tecnologia.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | Marcos M. Raimundo

  • Lesson 2: What is Ethics, and The Ethical Cycle

    • Objectives: Introduce the main branches of normative ethics (consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics) and train students in using the “Ethical Cycle” as a methodological tool to analyze and resolve moral dilemmas in IT.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to apply ethical frameworks systematically to resolve complex technology-related moral dilemmas using structured deliberation steps.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 3: Normative Ethical Theories & Chapter 4: The Ethical Cycle.
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 6: Ethical Reflection, Inquiry, and Deliberation.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | Marcos M. Raimundo

  • Lesson 3: Computing, Its Domains, and Professional Responsibility

    • Objectives: Map the field of computing, discuss the relevance and application of professional codes of ethics (ACM, SBC, IEEE), and examine the scope of active and passive professional responsibilities toward society.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to align technical practices with established professional codes of ethics and evaluate individual liability in software failure or societal harm scenarios.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 1, Capítulo 1: Panorama do Ensino Superior em Computação no Brasil & Capítulo 5: O Exercício da Profissão em Computação e os Aspectos Regulatórios no Brasil.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 2: Codes of Conduct.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

Part 2: Computing and Its Impacts

  • Lesson 4: Architecture, Energy, and the Material Cost of Digital Infrastructure

    • Objectives: Analyze the environmental and material impacts of technology, including the carbon footprint of data centers, energy efficiency in system architecture, and the electronic waste lifecycle and disposal.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to assess energy consumption and environmental lifecycle trade-offs when designing and deploying computational infrastructure.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 8: Sustentabilidade em Computação.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 9: Sustainability, Ethics, and Technology.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 5: Software Development and Ethical Responsibilities

    • Objectives: Discuss how technical engineering decisions carry implicit ethical choices and demonstrate practical ways to embed moral responsibility into the software development lifecycle.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to translate abstract ethical commitments into concrete engineering requirements during development and code architecture design.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 5: Value Sensitive Design and Responsible Innovation.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 5: Ethical Questions in the Design of Technology.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 6: Applied Cryptography, Identity, and Trust Frameworks

    • Objectives: Reflect on the social and political implications of cryptography, data sovereignty, identity authentication, and the role of distributed systems in building digital trust.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to evaluate trust assumptions, privacy trade-offs, and governance mechanisms embedded in cryptographic and distributed systems.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 3, Capítulo 22: Tecnologia Blockchain.
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 1: A Humanistic Approach.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 7: Data, Bias, and Algorithmic Discrimination

    • Objectives: Identify historical and operational sources of data bias, and evaluate the discriminatory effects that predictive models and algorithms can perpetuate or amplify in society.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to audit datasets and algorithmic models for unfair bias, identifying historical disparities encoded in data pipelines.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 2: Ethics of Consequences (applied sections). Verificar quando chegarmos nesta aula: o sumário real do EthTech não tem capítulo com esse título no Cap. 2 (que é “What do we mean with ethics?”); o mais próximo é o Cap. 9 “Consequences and outcomes” (p. 67) — mesmo padrão de citação quebrada encontrado na Aula 1, ainda não corrigido aqui.
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 10: Cultura na Prática da Computação — corrigido nesta sessão (era “Capítulo 2: Análise Cultural de Sistemas Computacionais”, que não existe; ver nota na Aula 1).
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 8: Automated Decision-Making, Optimization, AI, and Risk

    • Objectives: Analyze the ethical dilemmas of automated decision-making and AI optimization, addressing black-box opacity, explainability, and the social management of technological risks.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to balance model performance against transparency, interpretability, and risk mitigation strategies in high-stakes automated decisions.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 6: Ethical Aspects of Technical Risks.
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 5: Value Sensitive Design and Responsible Innovation.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | Marcos M. Raimundo

Part 3: Society and Computing

  • Lesson 9: Who Builds Technology: Gender and Diversity

    • Objectives: Discuss the historical underrepresentation of women and marginalized groups in computing, analyzing structural barriers and how team diversity directly impacts product design and neutrality.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to diagnose lack of diversity in technological design teams and implement strategies to build inclusive tech environments and unbiased systems.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 1, Capítulo 4: Gênero, Ciência e Tecnologia.
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 3: Acessibilidade e Inclusão Digital.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 10: Labor, Platforms, and Invisible Work

    • Objectives: Debate the transformation of work relations through digital platforms (“platformization”), addressing labor precariousness and the essential role of “ghost work” (e.g., data annotators for AI and content moderators).
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to evaluate human labor implications in platform architecture design and acknowledge hidden human pipelines underlying modern AI platforms.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 1, Capítulo 3: Trabalho no Século XXI e a Computação.
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 1: A Humanistic Approach.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 11: Attention, Manipulation, and the Information Ecosystem

    • Objectives: Investigate the attention economy, choice architecture tailored for compulsive engagement (dark patterns), information bubbles, and the impact of persuasive technology on the public sphere and democracy.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to recognize and eliminate dark patterns and manipulative user experience choices that exploit cognitive vulnerabilities.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 1: E-democracia e Transparência.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 7: Designing Morality.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

Part 4: Humanistic Computing Techniques

  • Lesson 12: Ethical Design: Value Conflicts and Trade-offs

    • Objectives: Develop the capacity to handle practical dilemmas in software development, learning to weigh and mediate conflicts between competing values (e.g., privacy vs. security; usability vs. data protection).
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to navigate value trade-offs explicitly using formal design methodologies without resorting to purely technical reductionism.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 5: Value Sensitive Design and Responsible Innovation.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 5: Ethical Questions in the Design of Technology.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | Marcos M. Raimundo

  • Lesson 13: Data Feminism Principles and Interdisciplinary Collaboration

    • Objectives: Present critical perspectives in data science (such as Data Feminism principles) and discuss how interdisciplinary dialogue is essential to reveal and challenge power structures embedded in data and systems.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to apply critical data analysis methods that account for power dynamics, context, and cross-disciplinary perspectives.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 1, Capítulo 4: Gênero e Tecnologias (título real; a ementa original dizia “Gênero, Ciência e Tecnologia” — próximo o suficiente, mesmo capítulo).
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 2, Capítulo 10: Cultura na Prática da Computação — corrigido nesta sessão (ver nota na Aula 1).
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 14: Commons: Free Software, Licensing, and Open Knowledge

    • Objectives: Study the philosophical and legal dimensions of the Free Software and Open Source movements, analyzing software licensing frameworks, intellectual property, and building knowledge as a common good (commons).
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to select appropriate software licenses and leverage open-source mechanisms to build sustainable digital commons.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Maciel & Viterbo (2020) – Vol. 3, Capítulo 17: Software Livre e Código Aberto & Capítulo 15: Propriedade Intelectual e Direito Autoral de Software.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA

  • Lesson 15: Responsible Innovation: Moving Forward

    • Objectives: Synthesize the course learnings toward professional and academic practice, focusing on the concept of Responsible Innovation and the tech professional’s role as an active agent of social change.
    • Expected Competencies: Ability to establish responsible innovation protocols within organizational setups and evaluate long-term social risks of emerging technology projects.
    • Recommended Reading:
      • Marc Steen (2022) – Chapter 5: Value Sensitive Design and Responsible Innovation & Chapter 6: Ethical Reflection, Inquiry, and Deliberation.
      • Van de Poel & Royakkers (2011) – Chapter 1: The Responsibilities of Engineers.
    • Date and Speaker: TBD | TBA
Computing Ethics Technology and Society Responsible Innovation Human-Centered Design
Marcos M. Raimundo
Marcos M. Raimundo
Professor of Machine Learning and Optimization

My research interests include Machine Learning, Multi-objective Optimization, Ethical AI, mathematical programming.