Ethics and Technology Minor

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The Ethics and Technology Minor exposes students to the moral complexity of new and emerging technological developments in our society, and encourages them to think critically about their impact on our shared future.

Topics that may be explored in a course of study include: algorithmic bias, data privacy, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, genetic engineering, biotechnology, entrepreneurial decision making, and more. More broadly, the Ethics and Technology Minor advances one of Stanford's long-range efforts to address the ethical implications and societal consequences of technological and scientific advances.

The Ethics and Technology Minor combines foundational courses in ethical reasoning with a diverse set of interdisciplinary courses from across the university, allowing students significant choice in tailoring their program to suit their interests.  For instance, a student with primary interests in data science could have the flexibility to choose up to three different courses in their focused area to supplement the foundational requirements.

A minor in Ethics in Society requires six courses for a minimum of 25 units.  All courses must be taken for a letter grade and be at least 3 units. Students may not double-count courses between the minor and other academic programs (ie, major or minor) unless in the circumstances outlined here under the "Special Requirements for Students Pursuing Minors". 

Course Requirements:

Foundational Courses:

1) One course in moral/political philosophy:

• ETHICSOC20 - Introduction to Moral Philosophy
• ETHICSOC170 - Ethical Theory
• ETHICSOC171 - Justice
• ETHICSOC174L - Justice Across Borders
• ETHICSOC178M - Introduction to Environmental Ethics
• ETHICSOC185M - Contemporary Moral Problems

2) One course in ethics and technology:

• ETHICSOC151C - Ethical STEM: Race, Justice, and Embodied Practice
• ETHICSOC131X - Ethics in Bioengineering
• ETHICSOC182 - Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change

3) One ETHICSOC elective at the 100 level or above.

The three foundational courses must be taken for a letter grade, and for a minimum of 4 units.

Ethics & Technology Electives

Three electives that cover various topics on technology, human values, and social impact from an interdisciplinary perspective:

Students are required to supplement the foundational courses with three additional electives from the list below.  These courses cover various topics in technology, human values, and social innovation from an interdisciplinary perspective and are drawn from across the university.  Students are invited to petition to add a course that is not currently listed and coheres with the aims of the minor.*

* To petition a course, contact the Student Programming Administrator for further instruction. Syllabi/relevant coursework may be requested for this review process.

• BIO4N - The Science and Ethics of Personalized Genomic Medicine
• BIOE122 - BioSecurity and Pandemic Resilience
• BIOE177 - Inventing the Future
• COMM124 - Truth, Trust, and Tech
• COMM154 - The Politics of Algorithms
• CS152 - Trust and Safety
• CS181 - Computers, Ethics, and Public Policy
• ENGR110 - Perspectives in Assistive Technology (ENGR 110)
• ENGR148 - Principled Entrepreneurial Decisions
• GENE104Q - Law and the Biosciences
• HUMBIO174 - Foundations of Bioethics
• INTLPOL268 - Hack Lab: Introduction to Cybersecurity
• INTLPOL256 - Technology, National Security, and Sustainability
• MED73N - Scientific Method and Bias
• MS&E296 - Technology, Innovation and Great Power Competition
• MS&E254 - The Ethical Analyst
• NBIO101 - Social and Ethical Issues in the Neurosciences
• PHIL20N - Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence
• PHIL60 - Introduction to Philosophy of Science
• POLISCI114S - International Security in a Changing World
• PUBLPOL103F - Ethics of Truth in a Post-Truth World
• PUBLPOL134 - Ethics on the Edge: Business, Non-Profit Organizations, Government, and Individuals
• STS1 - Introduction to Science, Technology & Society

Courses must be taken for a letter grade, must be at least 3 units each, and must total to a minimum of 8 units. 

THE LIST OF COURSES BELOW REFLECT THE MOST UPDATED ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR'S OFFERINGS:

Application Process:

1. Meet with the Program Administrator to review application requirements and program expectations
2. Fill out and submit the EiS Minor Application Form
   1. To submit the application form, you will also need to provide the following materials listed below. You will need to compile the below documents into a single folder, and provide us with the link to access the folder and download the form/materials when filling out the application form.
      1. Download and fill in the appropriate Course Planning spreadsheet.
         1. Note: You will need to make sure you're signed into Google Drive with your Stanford email.
      2. Attach a one page narrative describing the central organizing theme of your minor
      3. Sign the final page of the EiS Minors Guide (provided to you after your meeting with the Program Administrator)
3. The Program Administrator will review your application, and inform you of your approval. 
4. Upon receiving approval from the Program Administrator, you can officially declare the minor via Axess. Do NOT submit your minor declaration via Axess without prior confirmation/approval from the Program Administrator. 

Click here to view/submit the Ethics & Technology Minor application.

Please send any questions to Student Programming Administrator, Gillyn Maung at gmaung [at] stanford.edu (gmaung[at]stanford[dot]edu).  Please note that submitting an application and receiving confirmation/approval is required before declaring the minor in Axess.