SPO1510 covered two main focus areas: social media tools and ethics. Students were required to complete mandatory tasks using Twitter, SoundCloud, and Paper.li. They also wrote an essay analyzing video games through an ethical lens, discussing perspectives on killing in games and whether certain games violate the Geneva Convention. The exam would consist of students' curated portfolios and an essay on a topic of their choice relating to the course material.

1. SPO1510 SUMMARY
Spring 2015

2. Mandatory Tasks
Twitter
SoundCloud
Paper.li
Review
My fav
game
Essay

3. Mandatory Tasks Revisited
Make
profile
Start
tweeting
Follow
Twitter

4. Mandatory Tasks Revisited
Make profile
Gather feeds
and arrange
content
Tweet it
automatically
to Twitter
Paper.li
A tool for curation, and making it easier to
read topics from your Twitter feed, as well as
self-promotion based on your professional
interests.

5. Mandatory Tasks Revisited
Make profile
Upload My
Favourite
Game
Upload Game
Review
SoundCloud

6. Mandatory Tasks Revisited
Description of the
Games
The Games in
relation to a bit of
Ethics
The Games in
relation to the
Geneva Convention
Essay

7. Normative Ethics
Consequential
• An action is morally
right if the
consequences of
that action are more
favourable than
unfavourable
• You, Everyone but
You, Absolutely
everyone
Duty
• Based on principles of
obligation
• Avoid wronging others
• Treat people as equals
• Kant: Treat people as an
end, never as an means
to an end
Virtue
• Good habits of
character
• Virtues: Wisdom,
Courage, Sincerity
• Vice: Cowardice,
Injustice,
Insensibility

8. Two perspectives
Child
Perspective
Adult
Perspective
Egocentrical perspective
Critical perspective

9. Ethical theories and value systems
Utilitarian point of view: I will not “pirate”
software, because it might put programmers
out of work
Kantian point of view: I will not “pirate”
software, because that is stealing, and
stealing is wrong

10. The killing fields of computer games
“Killing games”
Fair games Unfair games
Ghost Recon Postal
Rule of Engagement/ No rules
Code of conduct
SWAT 4 Manhunt

11. And the verdict is…
Utilitarian: Its wrong to kill people
Kantian: Its illegal to kill people
Both “fair” and “unfair”
games are equally unethical
if we base our verdict on the fact that we have to kill in order to
achieve the games objectives

12. And War Games?
In war it is allowed to kill people – that is; soldiers. Non-combatants is off limits, as
often shown in military shooters like Ghost Recon 1 and GR Future Soldier (Civilian
casualty ends the game)
So that makes it’s a bit less unethical if viewed from an Kantian?

13. Some more theories
Normative ethics:
- Virtue theories
- Duty theories
- Consequentialist theories

14. Virtue theories
Good habits of character:
* Virtues: wisdom, courage, temperance,
justice, fortitude, generosity, self-respect,
good temper, sincerity
* Vices: cowardice, insensibility, injustice,
vanity

15. Duty theories
Morality is based on principles of obligation
Some absolute duties:
- Avoid wronging others
- Treat people as equals
- Promote the good of other
Right theory:
Other persons right not to be harmed by you
Kant`s categorical imperative:
Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end

16. Consequentialist theories
An action is morally right if the consequences of that action are more
favorable than unfavorable
So if the good consequences are greater, then the action is considered
morally proper. If the bad consequences are greater, then the action is
morally improper

17. Consequentialism revisited
Three ways of looking at this
• Ethical Egoism: It is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than
unfavorable only to you.
• Ethical Altruism: It is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than
unfavorable to everyone except you.
• Utilitarianism: It is morally right if the consequences of that action are more favorable than
unfavorable to everyone.

18. Jus in bellom
You may attack any military objective
The action must have the defeat of the enemy as the intention
You are to have your weapons visible
You have some limitation as to what weapons are allowed against personnel

19. The Geneva Convention
F.inst.:
a) Destroying civilian buildings if it is not
necessary is forbidden.
Buildings and their destruction has to have a
military purpose….
b) Medics are not to be shot at……..but
if they use their personal arms offensively,
they sacrifice their protection under the
Geneva Conventions

20. SPO1510 Had Two Focus Areas
Social Media Tools
Ethics

21. Some other topics
Video
Games,
Movies and
Cartoons
Video Games as
Cultural Expressions
The use of
commercial
games
Video Games as
Instructional Tools

22. Video Games in Education
logic, memory,
visualisation
and problem
solving
Video
Games
Learning
processes

23. Focus Areas = Exam
Social
media Tools
Ethics
Mandatory
Tasks
Your Portfolio

24. Am I ready for the exam?
33 of you are
good to go!

25. Exam 5th of June
Portfolio
Essay
Your choice
Your choice
You could f.inst. upload
SoundCloud My fav game
And you could upload
your SoundCloud Review
BEFORE 1400 PM!
Mandatory
You upload 3 of the
tasks to Fronter
In the
introduction:
Name the 2 other
tasks you want to
deliver for exams
and place links