A Canvas Syllabus

Smart Machines and the Future of Humanity

BCORE 118C

Year 2018      Quarter Spring      Credits 5

Instructors Andreas Brockhaus & Todd Conaway

Class Mondays 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM UW2-040 and online

Instructor Contact Information email through Canvas or 425-352-5334

Office Hours  We can meet online by arrangement or face-to-face 1:00 to 2:00 PM on Mondays.

Printable Syllabus

The news is filled with stories of artificial intelligence and the impact smart machines will have on work, the economy, entertainment, education and even our understanding of what it means to be human. At times, the predictions sound like science fiction, with dystopian and utopian visions of what our society will look like in the future. The impact of artificial intelligence makes us ask questions like: What does it mean to be human? How intertwined is humanity with the machines that surround us? What will our future look like? Will the impact be more negative or positive? Will they take over all of our jobs?

This course will use these questions to explore our relationship with machines and how they alter our emotional and physical existence today and in the future. Drawing from nonfiction, fiction, film, and popular culture perspectives, students will create work that will explore their relationship with the future, society and their concept of self.

This is a 50% hybrid course, meaning the class will meet half of the time on campus and half of the time online. The on-campus meetings are required and we will meet every Monday during spring quarter from 11AM to 1PM. The remaining course time will be spent engaging with the course content and other students online. Active participation in both the on-campus and online activities is required to pass this course.

Hybrid courses require as much or more time doing assignments and may not work well for all students. To succeed, you should:

• Organize your time well, even when managing multiple demands.

• Be prepared to read and write a lot, especially in an online setting since hybrid courses can require more writing and reading since there is less time spent in a classroom.

• Be comfortable with using the Internet, email, and various software applications.

• Have easy access to computers and fast-speed Internet.

• Be willing to discuss and interact with others online.

• Be self-motivated enough to finish assignments on deadline with little to no supervision.

Hybrid and online courses can be a great way to gain skills in online interactions, which can be very useful in today's digitally connected workplace. Millions of college students successfully complete hybrid and online courses each year.

Course Learning Goals

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Reflect critically on your learning through the use of an eportfolio in which you consider how your first year at UW Bothell has impacted and changed you.

2. Describe the historical, social, economic, and personal influence of artificial intelligence and how it affects you and society.

3. Illustrate how smart machines may impact our concept of humanity.

4. Predict how smart machines may potentially impact society and your future self in several different ways.

5. Articulate ways in which the increased use of technology may harm or benefit humanity.

Communication is the process of written, oral, performative, and multimedia interaction that enables us to share ideas and practices.

This goal includes the ability to:

• communicate persuasively to different audiences with appropriate media.

• practice writing in its many genres across the curriculum.

• develop dialogical skills that include listening actively to alternative perspectives.

• understand relationships between knowledge, power, and communication.

Critical and Creative Inquiry joins reason and imagination to make, investigate, critique, and pursue meaning in the arts, humanities, and the social and natural sciences. It includes the ability to:

• employ different ways of creating, interpreting, and transmitting new ideas, works, and knowledge in a responsible manner.

• make effective use of information across print, visual, electronic, and other media to seek, shape, and evaluate evidence.

• respond, both critically and creatively, to a variety of texts, questions, and problems in order to draw informed conclusions

• become more aware of personal and collective assumptions.

Required Textbooks (in the UWB bookstore or at places like Amazon)

Artificial Intelligence. What Everyone Needs to Know Author: Jerry Kaplan. 2016 edition
ISBN  978-0190602390

Heart of the Machine. Our Future in a World of Artificial Emotional Intelligence: Richard Yonck. 2017 edition
ISBN 978-1628727333

Communication Preferences

We will be using Canvas for all course materials and assignment and for all communication including announcements and updates, so be sure that you have set up Canvas that you will receive these messages quickly. You will also be expected to use your UW e-mail account regularly, so that we can communicate with each of you electronically between classes. If you wish to use another email address as your primary account, set up your UW account to forward to your other address. You can email us through Canvas.

We will typically respond within 12 hours, though it may take longer during weekends and holidays.  Office hours are 1 PM to 2 PM Mondays or by appointment. We’re happy to meet you via Skype or Zoom.

Technology Access

Because half of this course is online, this course requires:

Reliable fast-speed Internet connection. The Open Learning Lab in UW2-140 and the library can provide access on-campus if you need it.

Access to Canvas. Because half of this course is online, it is essential you know how to access the course using Canvas. If you are not familiar with Canvas, please visit the UWB Learning Technologies student tutorial page , or just Google: UWB Canvas students.

Access to Google apps and other online tools. Information about Google apps can be found on the UWB Learning Technologies page