Welcome to Centre for Society, Technology and Values
The Centre for Society, Technology and Values (CSTV) is a uniquely UWaterloo interdisciplinary centre that sets out to explain and examine social aspects of technology and technological change.
CSTV was established in 1984 as an interdisciplinary teaching and research unit. Since 1991, it has been connected with the Department of Systems Design Engineering.
News
STV 201: Pluriversal alternatives—Ideas to postpone the end of the world
This course draws on a variety of worldviews, especially Indigenous ones, relating to the role of engineering in a healthy and sustainable future.
Winter 2024
Instructor: Matt Borland
STV 208: Artificial Intelligence and Society
The objective of this course is to introduce students to ethical and social concerns relating to Artificial Intelligence (AI). These concerns include historical determinism, governance, utopianism, biopower, human rights, robo-ethics, justice, accountability, and fairness. An overview will be provided on these issues as they arise in areas like art, commerce, education, finance, journalism, law, healthcare, transportation, warfare, and work.
Winter 2024
Instructor: Cameron Shelley
STV 302: Information Technology and Society
The course has been designed to provide a framework or set of intellectual tools to help students understand and evaluate technological change. These tools will be applied to the development of information technology, its interaction with society, and possible future scenarios. Selected topics include understanding digitization as culture, visions of the future and the perils of prediction, as well as issues related to application areas such as the home, manufacturing, office work, design and services, education, and law. The course will also consider some of the privacy and personal dignity issues associated with information technology.
Winter 2024
Instructor: Cosmin Munteanu