Crown 80A or 80B Ethical Issues In Emerging Technologies

Crown Core Class How to Enroll

Welcome to Crown College, Class of 2016!

As Provost of Crown College, I am happy to extend my welcome you to CRWN 80.  I look forward to meeting each one of you and becoming your teacher, mentor and researcher/colleague.

As you may already know, UCSC is among the leading research universities in the area of genomics. Among its recent accomplishments, UCSC developed the genome database as well as the leading search engine for locating genes in the human genome. Since then many other animals’ genomes have been sequenced and are available on our database. In our core course, which you will take this fall quarter, titled CRWN 80: Ethical Issues in Emerging Technologies, we will consider the societal implications of living in the new world these technologies summon forth as we enter the new millennium. You will encounter an array of different kinds of readings designed to introduce the lay, non-scientist reader to these topics, from fiction and poetry to philosophical treatises.  

CRWN 80’s most important goal is to improve your abilities to understand difficult reading and effectively express your ideas and reasoning. It is among the most important skills, both personally and professionally, that you will learn at UCSC. Professionally, we need to interact with colleagues and consumers of our products. I worked for three years as an engineer after earning my B.S. in engineering and the greatest hindrance to my success was not my technical skills, which equaled or exceeded my colleagues’, but my unawareness of, and lack of skills in, communication.

CRWN 80 has as its first purpose to improve your reading, critical thinking and writing skills and satisfies an English composition requirement for graduation. Your seminar instructor’s most important task it to improve your writing skills. The topic that you will be studying and writing about, Ethical Issues in Emerging Technologies, especially human enhancement through genetic engineering, will become increasingly important issues during your lifetimes and provide an excellent subject for your study.  I hope you find CRWN 80 to be thought provoking and enjoyable.

Sincerely,

F. Joel Ferguson
Provost of Crown College
Professor of Computer Engineering

LECTURE & SECTIONS

All frosh (even those with AP or transfer credits) must enroll in a section of the Crown Core Course CRWN 80A or 80B "Ethical Issues in Emerging Technologies." The Crown core course consists of a section and a large lecture that meets in Classroom Unit 2 on Tuesdays from 6:00-7:45 p.m. Section times and locations vary and are listed on the on-line Fall Schedule of Classes under the heading of “Crown College.”  

WHICH SECTION TO ENROLL IN

See How to Enroll in Core Course.

WHEN TO ENROLL

You will be able to enroll in Core at  your Summer Orientation session.

AVOID SCHEDULING CONFLICTS WITH CORE COURSE

Please reserve a few alternative section times in schedule in case your preferred choice is unavailable.

SUMMER READING/WRITING ASSIGNMENT DUE AT FIRST SECTION MEETING

The Crown Core Course Summer Assignment can be downloaded here [PDF].

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!! MANDATORY FIRST LECTURE

A special first Core course meeting is scheduled :  September 26 at 7 PM. CRWN 80A or 80B sections begin the following week.