Technology in Society Courses 2023-24
The Technology in Society Requirement
Engineering is a deeply social activity. It is shaped by social values, interests, and priorities; is increasingly practiced in complex social groups; and its fruits have important social effects in the political, economic, and cultural realms. Hence, the School of Engineering believes it is important that practicing engineers understand their ethical and social responsibilities. To this end, all undergraduate engineering majors must take one course devoted to exploring ethical and social issues and responsibilities arising from the interplay of engineering, technology, and society.
Note: CE majors must take CEE 102A; MS&E AND ME majors must choose from among the courses marked “X” in the major columns. Students in other majors may choose from any of the following courses, although only CS and EPHYS majors may use CS 182W.
WIM Note: Check individual major requirements to determine which courses will fulfill the University Writing in the Major (WIM) requirement .
| Course | Title | Qtr | WAYS** | Units | CE | MS&E | ME |
| AA 252 | Techniques of Failure Analysis (for senior engineering students only) | S | - | 3 | X | X | |
| ANTHRO 132C (CSRE 132C) | Technology and Inequality | not offered 23-24 | EDP | 5 | |||
| ARCHLGY 151 (CLASSICS 151) | Ten Things: An Archaeology of Design | W | A-II or SI | 3 | |||
| BIOE 131 | Ethics in Bioengineering | S | ER | 3 | X | X | |
| BIOE 177/DESIGN 259 | Inventing the Future (limited enrollment; admission is by application) | W | 3 | ||||
| CEE 102A | Legal & Ethical Principles in Design, Construction, and Project Delivery (this is the only option for CE majors) | W | 3 | X | X | ||
| CEE 145E | Equitable Infrastructure Solutions | W | 3 | ||||
CEE 177X+177S/ ENGR 177A/177B | ENGR & Sustainable Development (the 2-quarter sequence taken for at least 3 units each) | no longer offered | 3/3 | ||||
| CLASSICS 168 (ARCHLGY 168) | Engineering the Roman Empire (Take for 5 units to fulfill TiS) | S | A-II | 5 | |||
| COMM 120W | Digital Media in Society | A | SI | 5 | X | X | |
| COMM 166 | Virtual People | not in 23-24 | SI | 5 | |||
| CS 125 (new SPR 24) | Data: Algorithms, Tools, Policy, and Society | S | 3 | ||||
| CS 152 | Trust and Safety Engineering | W,S | 3 | X | |||
CS 181 or CS 181W | Computers, Ethics and Public Policy (WIM version; available only to CS or Engineering Physics majors | S | ER | 4 | X | X | |
| CS 182 | Ethics, Public Policy, & Technological Change (Prerequisite: CS 106A/AX) | not in 23-24 | ER | 5 | X | ||
| CS 182W | Ethics, Public Policy, & Technological Change (WIM for CS & EPHYS majors only) Enrollment limited to 100 (Prerequisite: CS 106A or AX) | ER | 5 | ||||
| CS 256 | Algorithmic Fairness | W | 3 | ||||
| CS 278 | Social Computing (SOC 174/274) | S | 4 | X | |||
| DATASCI 154 | Solving Social Problems with Data | S | 5 | ||||
| EARTHSYS 125 | Shades of Green: Redesigning and Rethinking the Environmental Justice Movements | W | ED | 4 | X | ||
| ENGR 117 will not count if taken 2019-20 due to reduced units ) | Expanding Engineering Limits: Culture, Diversity, and Gender (must take for 3 units and for a letter grade to count as TiS) | W | ED | 3 (must take for 3 units) | X | ||
| ENGR 145 | Technology Entrepreneurship | W | 4 | ||||
| ENGR 148/248 | Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions | A,W | ER | 3 | X | ||
| HUMBIO 174 | Foundations of Bioethics (BMC, BME, CS-CompBio, & ME majors only) | W | ER | 3 | -- | -- | X |
| MS&E 193 | Technology in National Security | A | SI | 4 | X | X | |
| ME 267 | Ethics and Equity in Transportation Systems (if taken in previous years; no longer offered after 2021-22) | X | X | ||||
| POLISCI 114S | Int’l Security in a Changing World | W | SI | 5 | X | ||
| PUBLPOL 134 | Ethics on the Edge: Business, NPOs, Gov't, & Individuals (must take for a letter grade) | S | ER | 3 | |||
| STS 1 | The Public Life of Science and Technology | W | A-II OR SI | 4 | X |
**WAYS: A-II = Aesthetic/Interpretive Inquiry; CE=Creative Expression; ED=Engaging Diversity; ER=Ethical Reasoning; SI= Social Inquiry