Socially Responsible Computing
@Brown CS

We are at the forefront of making responsible computing an integral part of computer science education at Brown and beyond.

SRC logo

What is Socially Responsible Computing?

Socially Responsible Computing (SRC) is more than technology ethics. It is an interdisciplinary effort to use the perspectives and tools of the humanities and social sciences to identify, scrutinize the social impacts of computer science in an effort to build new technologies that are aligned with human needs and values.

SRC education in Brown's Computer Science department aims to:

  • Build awareness and help students understand and analyze the social, ethical, and political context of technology.
  • Enable students to make concrete technical decisions informed by their analysis.
  • Foster a socio-technical mindset in which this process becomes an standard part of the practice of computer science and software engineering.
Learn more about our mission

What we do

Founded in 2019 within Brown's Department of Computer Science, Brown's SRC program brings responsible computing into CS education through four main areas of work.

SRC Curriculum Development

Develop curricular frameworks and materials for integrating SRC directly into CS courses.

View curriculum

SRC Handbook

Develop an online textbook for teaching responsible computing at Brown and beyond.

Explore the Handbook

Teaching Responsible Computing

Work with faculty and teaching assistants to integrate SRC content into Brown CS courses.

Learn about our STA Program

SRC Education Research

Study how responsible computing content can be designed, taught, and evaluated in CS courses.

Read research