Experiential Ethics

Trying to navigate the complex, ever-changing ethical terrain of science and technology? Experiential Ethics is a collaborative, discussion-based summer course where students gain theoretical and practical tools while reflecting critically on their personal, professional, and political roles. The class can be taken by itself or alongside popular experiential learning programs and internships, such as UROP,  MISTI, or PKG opportunities. In small-group weekly sessions, students engage in conversations about their own values as well as the moral, social, and political dimensions of their summer experiences. In the 2026 session, we will once again offer a 3-unit version (24.133) and a more intensive 6-unit version (24.134) of the class with more extensive readings and longer class time.

Discussions of the ethical implications of science and technology have reached a new level of prominence on MIT’s campus with the founding of the Schwarzman College of Computing. Leaders in industry, academia, and the public sector all acknowledge the ubiquity of technology and the vital role that ethics must play in the creation of new technology. MIT graduates have the opportunity to become pioneers in fields like inclusive AI practices and cybersecurity policy, but only if they possess both technical expertise and an understanding of how technology impacts various groups of people.

These conversations are not new. More than 50 years ago, a group of MIT faculty, students, and alumni came together to speak out against nuclear warfare and formed the Union of Concerned Scientists. As our society wrestles with those challenges that the UCS founders foresaw, as well as many new challenges that they could not yet imagine, we need MIT graduates who are not afraid to ask the tough questions.

MIT students can now gain the skills and knowledge they need in a class designed to complement students’ summer experiential learning activities. This approach to ethics education is not imagined or intended as a substitute for philosophy courses taught by MIT faculty; rather, the experiential setting can be a supplemental exposure that contextualizes and reinforces more traditional or theoretical approaches to ethics. Classes will offer thought-provoking readings, videos, and case studies; small group in-person or online discussions; simulations with practitioners, alumni, faculty, and peers; guided critical reflection on personal values and professional purpose; and a culminating showcase event/presentation.