This concentration provides training and insight into the ethical, legal, and policy dimensions of contemporary information technology. Building on research and contemporary debates in law, policy and the social sciences, Ethics, Law and Policy (ELP) students learn about key processes and institutions shaping the technology landscape, and how these institutions are changing in turn to accommodate emerging technologies and practices. 

The core course related to this concentration is INFO 1200: Information Ethics, Law, and Policy.

Some faculty members whose research is related to this concentration include: Solon Barocas; Tarleton GillespieSteve JacksonKaren LevyHelen Nissenbaum, and Phoebe Sengers.

Career Paths

  • Professional careers in law, management, and policy;
  • Graduate work in policy-related fields (law, management, policy, etc.)
  • IS students of all types seeking a better understanding the ethical, legal and policy dimensions of their work.

INFORMATION ETHICS, LAW, AND POLICY COURSES

Please reference the Cornell Class Roster for details on the below courses.

A. Frameworks and Institutions (choose one) 

  • INFO 4113: Technology and Law Colloquium
  • INFO 4200: Information Policy: Applied Research and Analysis
  • INFO 4250: Surveillance and Privacy
  • INFO 4301: Ethics in New Media, Technology, and Communication
  • HADM 4890: The Law of the Internet and E-Commerce
  • STS 2761: Governing Everyday Life

B. Methods and Analysis (choose one)

  • INFO 4240: Designing Technology for Social Impact
  • INFO 4800: Behavioral Science Interventions
  • COMM 4242: The Design & Governance of Field Experiments
  • CRP 3210: Introduction to Quantitative Methods for the Analysis of Public Policy
  • PAM 2300: Introduction to Policy Analysis

C. Cases/Topics (choose one)

  • INFO 3200: New Media and Society
  • INFO 3460: Crowds, Communities, and Technology
  • INFO 3561: Computing Cultures
  • ​INFO 4270: Ethics and Policy in Data Science
  • ​INFO 4561: Stars, Scores, and Rankings: Evaluation and Society
  • STS 3440: The Data Science & Society Lab