Human responsibilities towards one another?

Human responsibilities towards one another?

In the hallowed halls of MIT, a unique course is stirring conversations and challenging students to reconsider their values and navigate conflicting viewpoints. The MIT Compass Course: Love, Death, and Taxes (course 21.01) is a pioneering multidisciplinary class designed to help students develop a moral and civic education, enabling them to responsibly engage with the unpredictable, rapidly changing world shaped by technology.

Led by Associate Professor Robin Scheffler, the course integrates the humanities and social sciences to guide students in thinking about the kind of humans and society they want to be part of. It equips students—who are already skilled in science and engineering—with the tools to critically evaluate ethical dilemmas and societal impacts of technology, fostering their ability to wrestle with conflicting perspectives and develop a personal moral compass.

The course takes a "flipped classroom" approach, with students watching recorded lectures at home and coming to class prepared for discussion and debate. Each section is co-taught by two faculty members, combining disciplines and perspectives. One exercise asks students to draw a map representing their values, with arrows pointing from instrumental values to fundamental ones.

In the first week, students draft a Rousseau-inspired social compact and learn how to build a classroom community. The course then follows an "arc" that begins with students investigating questions of value, before moving on to topics like merit-based societies, the universality of language, and what humans owe each other.

A notable exercise revolves around a debate about the safety and ethical implications of recombinant DNA research, particularly the potential for biological weapons development and threats to the public. Each student is assigned a persona from a 1976 Cambridge City Council hearing debating recombinant DNA research, and they argue different sides from their personas: banning the research, moving labs outside city limits, or proceeding without government interference.

Shannon Cordle, a first-year student-athlete majoring in mechanical engineering, participated in the Compass Course. Her goal was to become more comfortable expressing an opinion, even before she's fully formed it. Another student, Kayode Dada, a second-year mechanical engineering major, signed up for the course to fulfill a communications-intensive requirement and for cross-departmental exposure. However, he found it to be more than that, helping him reorient his values and leading him to volunteer at a robotics camp for kids in Louisville.

The MIT Compass Course is part of the broader Compass Initiative led by faculty from the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS). The course is a result of a multi-year collaboration involving over 30 faculty from 19 departments. The MIT Compass Podcast engages in these fundamental questions with guests from across the MIT schools of Science and Engineering.

In essence, the course helps students reflect on deep questions regarding values, knowledge, and social obligations. It teaches them to use humanities and social sciences frameworks to critically evaluate ethical dilemmas and societal impacts of technology. Moreover, it encourages students to practice thoughtful conversation and reasoning to navigate opposing viewpoints and develop a coherent set of personal values to guide their roles as both individuals and members of society, especially in contexts of technological change.

[1] MIT News: MIT Compass Course [2] The Tech: MIT Compass Course

1. The MIT Compass Course, located within the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS), is a unique class that equips students with moral and civic education.
2. Led by Associate Professor Robin Scheffler, the course integrates humanities and social sciences to help students navigate the ethics and societal impacts of technology.
3. The course takes a "flipped classroom" approach, with students watching recorded lectures at home and engaging in discussions and debates in class.
4. Each section of the course is co-taught by two faculty members from different disciplines, fostering a multidimensional learning experience.
5. One exercise requires students to draw a map representing their values, with arrows pointing from instrumental values to fundamental ones.
6. In the first week, students draft a Rousseau-inspired social compact, learning how to build a classroom community.
7. The course then follows an "arc" that investigates questions of value, merit-based societies, the universality of language, and human obligations to each other.
8. A notable exercise involves a debate about the safety and ethical implications of recombinant DNA research, with students assuming personas from a 1976 Cambridge City Council hearing.
9. Shannon Cordle, a first-year student-athlete majoring in mechanical engineering, joined the course to improve her ability to express opinions and found it helpful in reorienting her values.
10. Kayode Dada, a second-year mechanical engineering major, enrolled to fulfill a communications-intensive requirement but found the course contributing to his personal growth and led him to volunteer at a robotics camp for children.
11. The MIT Compass Initiative, a multi-year collaboration involving over 30 faculty from 19 departments, expanded the course, and the MIT Compass Podcast engages in these fundamental questions with guests from across MIT's science and engineering schools.
12. The MIT Compass Course teaches students to reflect deeply on questions regarding values, knowledge, and social obligations, preparing them for personal growth, career development, and responsible engagement with an ever-changing technological society.

Read also: