The MIT Case Studies in Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing (SERC) aims to advance new efforts within and beyond MIT’s Stephen A. Schwartzman College of Computing. The specially commissioned and peer-reviewed cases are brief and intended to be effective for undergraduate instruction across a range of classes and fields of study. The series will also be of interest for computing professionals, policy specialists, and general readers. All cases are freely available via open-access publishing. A companion website, with original homework problems, in-class demonstrations, and active learning projects developed by multidisciplinary SERC teams, is available via MIT’s OpenCourseWare.

The Series Editor interprets “social and ethical responsibilities of computing” broadly. Some cases focus closely on particular technologies, others on trends across technological platforms. Still others examine social, historical, philosophical, legal, and cultural facets that are essential for thinking critically about present-day efforts in computing and data sciences. The Series Editor makes a special effort to solicit cases on topics ranging beyond the United States, and that highlight perspectives of people who are affected by various technologies in addition to perspectives of designers and engineers.

The formats as well as the topics of cases range broadly. Each case is supported by scholarly apparatus of notes and references, but the main text can take various forms: a magazine-like feature article, Socratic dialogues, role-playing exercises, or science fiction narratives grounded in empirical research. The main goal of the series is to present important material in engaging ways for students across a range of classes and fields of study.