Could you be competing for a job–even after getting a college degree–with a robot or an AI-powered chatbot? As technologies advance, every few years, debates emerge: will this new kind of automation increase unemployment, or will it generate new kinds of jobs? Will these new jobs be more interesting and high-paying, or will they be boring and poorly paid? To think these questions through, in this course, we will study some key attempts to understand the socio-economic and political determinants as well as the repercussions of automation. We will look at historical examples of automation in the workplace as well as the most recent developments related to machine learning and AI. We will delve into the micro-level dynamics operating between machines and workers involved in concrete production processes. We will also explore the macro-level trends in national and global inequality that social scientists associate with automation. In our investigation of both macro- and micro-levels, we will focus on how the risks and benefits of automation get distributed unevenly along already existing axes of class, race, gender, etc.
Students are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity. All work submitted must be original and properly cited. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in immediate consequences as outlined in the university's academic integrity policy.
Academic misconduct is described fully in two documents: the Student Code of Conduct and the Academic Honor Code. The Student Code of Conduct outlines the lnstitute’s expectations for academic and nonacademic conduct as well as students' rights and seeks to foster an environment conducive to academic excellence. The Code outlines nine charges that apply to academic misconduct. The Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code is a guide that articulates student and faculty expectations; it is designed to strengthen the level of academic integrity and trust within the Tech community. As described in the Academic Honor Code, faculty members are expected to create an environment where honesty flourishes.
This is a Core IMPACTS course that is part of the Social Sciences area.
Core IMPACTS refers to the core curriculum, which provides students with essential knowledge in foundational academic areas. This course will help master course content, and support students’ broad academic and career goals.
This course should direct students toward a broad Orienting Question:
• How do I understand human experiences and connections?
Completion of this course should enable students to meet the following Learning Outcome:
• Students will effectively analyze the complexity of human behavior, and how historical, economic, political, social, or geographic relationships develop, persist, or change.
Course content, activities and exercises in this course should help students develop the following Career-Ready Competencies:
- Intercultural Competence
- Perspective-Taking
- Persuasion