GEND 122

Reflection Paper

Syllabus Description
A reflection paper will be assigned asking you to reflect on technology as it is projected to stand into the near
future, specifically focusing on its pervasiveness in society, its uses and potential misuses, and how the
integration of smart agents, machine learning, and AI could influence things for better or worse. Research will
be needed to complete this paper as you will need to provide concrete evidence (i.e. citations) to reinforce
your opinions and analysis.

Background
As we have explored in class over the last several weeks, technology is a tool of great power, great potential,
and many unintended consequences. Given the interconnectedness of modern devices, the pervasiveness of
social media, and the ubiquity of smart technology, we are rarely in a room with little or no interconnected
technology. The so-called “Internet of Things” (or IoT) already exists in the form of smart watches, doorbell
cameras, smart thermostats, and online home security systems. Additionally, the power of artificial intelligence
is growing as system demands are shrinking, meaning devices that even a couple of years ago were fully offline
now contain or could soon contain intelligent agents. These agents won’t just help the user but can and will
learn from the user’s actions, preferences, and performance.

However, changes like this frequently happen in a vacuum and devoid of larger social, societal, and technical
contexts. Facebook was not designed to be a multi-billion dollar corporation capable of swinging elections and
public opinion; it was designed to help college students know who is who on campus. Ford didn’t consider what
the availability of the Model T would do to infrastructure, the environment, or even public safety; Henry Ford
wanted to apply industrial principles to personal transport.

Essay Prompt
Given everything expressed above, we are left to ask: Given the omnipresence of interconnected technology
throughout society, how will the addition of “intelligent agents” and/or machine learning algorithms to these
interconnected devices change how these devices work, how people act, and how society functions? Given what
you think will happen, what are the inherent risks for misuse or abuse of such technology? Could any steps be
pre-emptively taken to prevent this sort of misuse or restrictions put on the technology to mitigate downsides?
Given all of the above, in your opinion and based on your world view, is it ethical to continue develop embedded
intelligent agents for use in general technology? Why or why not?

Paper Requirements
This paper will be an argumentative paper focusing on the current and near-future effects of interconnected
technology and interconnected smart agents on society and humanity. As such, this paper cannot simply be
based on your “gut feeling.” You must research this topic and reference explicit sources in order to provide
evidence for your argument. You should state a clear thesis for answering each question, make a logical
argument based on cited facts and logic,

This paper should be formatted to the APA standard, including in-text citations and a reference page of all
sources used in your paper. The content of any source used must be appropriately summarized and put into
your own words. Any direct quotes used from the papers must be quoted and cited according to APA standards.
It is expected that you will use proper, academic language and that your paper will be grammatically correct. If
you have concerns about formatting or grammar, consider an appointment with the HU Writing Center and/or
the Brainfuse Online Tutoring service.
ADDITIONALLY, your instructor will be happy to provide feedback on any draft paper submitted at least 1 week
before the due date. This should be done after any personal or peer editing has taken place and after consulting
with the HU Writing and/or the Brainfuse Online Tutoring Service. The goal of draft submission is to both help
with the evidence and argument presented in the paper and to teach and correct the mechanics of your writing.
This draft submission is optional and will not be graded; it is the purview of the instructor if they want to provide
feedback as to the approximate grade the paper would receive in the current state.

This paper is expected to be an APA formatted paper of at least 5 full pages, excluding references, and should
answer each of the questions posed in the final prompt of the essay, above. Each question should be answered
clearly and based on cited evidence, qualitative or anecdotal, as well as sound logic. Please keep in mind that
you may find that 5 pages is insufficient to fully answer all of the questions; this is acceptable and generally
expected. However, do not confuse length for content. Provide an opinion on the various aspects of the prompt
as well as reasoning and evidence for your opinion. Keep content focused on your point. Unfocused content is
no better than no content and, in some cases, may be worse.

Grade Breakdown
This assignment is worth 30% of your final grade. The grade for your paper is broken down as follows:

10%: Interconnected Technology – Student clearly establishes the current or near-future state of pervasive and
interconnected technology in society. Student analyzes both the benefits and drawbacks on society and makes a
reasoned argument for what the possible good and bad future effects could be if technology continues to
expand as predicted. References are used appropriately reinforce the student’s argument.

10%: Intelligent Agents – Student provides a clear, robust vision and reasoned argument for the potential
benefits and drawbacks to individuals and society for smart agents embedded within pervasive technology.
References are used appropriately to reinforce the student’s argument.

10%: Risk Analysis – Student provides a reasonable analysis of the risks of pervasive, intelligent technology
throughout society. Student uses previous examples of incidents to illustrate potential problems which could
arise of such a society. References are used appropriately to reinforce the student’s argument.

10%: Risk Mitigation – Student provides and reasonable restrictions or risk mitigation strategies for some of the
downsides and risks previously identified. Student clearly connects the mitigation strategies to the relevant
downside or risk and explains how this strategy would effectively reduce the potential harm or likeliness of the
harm of the given risk. References are used appropriately to reinforce the student’s argument.

10%: Clear Worldview – Student provides a clear worldview upon which to judge the ethics of such technology.
Student’s perspective is clearly and unambiguously described in a way that ethical decisions can then be made
based off of that world view. References are used appropriately to explain and reinforce the student’s
worldview.

10%: Ethics of Intelligent Technology – Student provides a clear opinion of the ethics of continuing with and
towards intelligent, pervasive technologies.Student explains their logic and justifies the ethics of continuing or
discontinuing such technology while considering risk mitigation strategies proposed. This argument is clearly
made and is consistent with their previously espoused worldview. References are used appropriately to
reinforce the student’s argument.
Grade Breakdown (cont.)
10% Essay Structure: Student structures the essay to have a clear message and interconnects individual
arguments into one cohesive argument. The essay and each individual argument has a clear thesis statement.
Student transitions between topics seamlessly. Student calls back to and builds on previous arguments in later
arguments in order to strengthen and reinforce both positions. Essay has a logical and coherent conclusion.

15% Grammar: Student’s essay is grammatically correct. While some minor issues may appear here or there,
they never interfere with the student’s argument or meaning. Proper, academic language is used throughout the
paper.

15% Format and Length: Student’s essay meets the minimum requirements for length and follows the APA 7
style guide appropriately. The student’s reference section is correctly formatted and contains all of the correct
information for all referenced materials. In-text citations and signal phrases are used correctly to give
appropriate attribution. Quotations from sources are clearly marked and cited per the APA 7 style guide.

Please see the included rubric for the complete breakdown of assessment by criterion.

Student Learning Outcomes Assessed

CRIT 0.2a: Work with Key Concepts - Work with key concepts/information/process/theory related to a given
topic and conduct a thorough analysis by doing five or more of the following: applying or extending them to
new predictions, recognizing hidden meanings, drawing inferences, analyzing patterns and component parts,
and communicating contrasts and comparisons.

CRIT 0.2d: State a Position - State specific position, perspective, thesis or hypothesis which takes into account
the complexities of an issue.

CRIT 0.2e: Connect Conclusions - State conclusions and related outcomes, consequences, and implications
which are based on logic and reflect student’s informed evaluation and ability to place evidence and
perspectives in priority.

CRIT 0.2g: Present a Coherent Analysis - Develop and explain a coherent analysis or synthesis using
information strongly supported by interpretation and evaluation.

ETHC 0.3: Defend Ethical Reasoning/Sources - Defend with appropriate ethical reasoning and appropriate
academic sources which course of action, applicable to a given ethical problem, the student prefers, including
description of student’s biases.

GLOB 0.2c: Describe Your Worldview - Describe, in the context of the student’s own worldview, the student’s
personal responsibility to given individuals, communities, and global systems.

Please see the included rubric for the complete breakdown of assessment by criterion.