Aline Nardo: Catalogue data in Spring Semester 2021

Name Dr. Aline Nardo
DepartmentHumanities, Social and Political Sciences
RelationshipLecturer

NumberTitleECTSHoursLecturers
851-0174-00LRebooting AI: Human and Social Aspects of Artificial Intelligence Restricted registration - show details
Suitable only for MA and PhD students
3 credits2GJ. L. Gastaldi, O. Del Fabbro, A. Nardo, D. Trninic
AbstractSeveral researchers from the humanities will propose a critical yet not partisan approach to AI, aiming at elaborating a common perspective on this phenomenon. Sessions will delve into aspects of the way in which AI challenges our understanding of the human, such as “Knowledge”, “Learning”, “Language”, “Freedom” or “Justice”.
ObjectiveDuring the course, students will be able to:
-Discuss relevant aspects of the impact of AI in human and social life
-Obtain theoretical and methodological tools for critically assessing the place of technology in society
-Develop a critical understanding of the conceptual grounds of AI
-Acquire a general perspective on the different fields and points of views in the humanities
-Engage in collaborative work with researchers in the humanities
ContentThe last decades have witnessed a remarkable development in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Although mainly technical feat, such advances have decisive consequences in a wide variety of aspects of human and social life. Even more, AI is challenging in multiple ways our very understanding of what is to be a human. However, despite the significance of the transformations at stake, the perspectives of the humanities -traditionally established as a valid source of critical inquiry into human matters- are generally relegated to a secondary role in the development of AI.

In this seminar, several researchers from the humanities will propose a critical yet not partisan approach to AI, aiming at elaborating a common perspective which could be taken as a legitimate interlocutor in the debates arising around the current stakes of technology in our society. The seminar will take the form of presentations based on critical readings of chosen texts, followed by group discussions. Each session will delve into one aspect of the way in which AI challenges our understanding of the human, such as “Knowledge”, “Learning”, “Language”, “Freedom” or “Justice”, confronting how they are dealt with in state-of-the-art texts in AI and relevant works in the humanities.

We expect students from science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and other fields outside the humanities to actively contribute to a collective construction, which could lead to further collaboration within but also outside this course.

As part of the Turing Centre, this seminar intends to sow the seed of a suitable and long-term environment for the exchange of ideas between multiple fields in the natural sciences and the humanities.

The seminar will be conducted by Olivier Del Frabbro, Juan Luis Gastaldi, Aline Nardo, Vanessa Rampton and Dragan Trninic.
Prerequisites / NoticeSuitable only for MA and PhD students
851-0252-12LThe Science of Learning From Failure Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 60.
2 credits2SM. Kapur, A. Nardo, E. Ziegler
AbstractWe can learn from failure! But, what does “failure” mean? And, what, how, and why do we learn from failure? This course covers research from the cognitive, educational, and learning sciences that addresses the role of failure in human learning. Students will critically examine how failure affects thinking, knowledge, creativity, problem-solving, etc.
ObjectiveStudents will:
- Critically read and analyze articles on research that addresses failure in learning.
- Participate in in-class problem-solving activities around research in failure.
- Discuss and reflect upon topics in both online and face-to-face formats.
- Engage in activities through the online platform.
- Complete a final paper on a subtopic related to failure in learning.

By the end of the course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the role that failure plays in learning.
- Discuss how and why failure can benefit learning.
- Discuss how and why failure does not facilitate learning.
- Apply understanding to a related sub-topic.
ContentWe learn from our mistakes, or rather, we certainly hope that we do. Another way to say this is that we can learn from failure. But, what does “failure” mean? And, what, how, and why do we learn from failure? This course covers research from the cognitive, educational, and learning sciences that addresses the role of failure in human learning. Students will critically examine how failure affects development of knowledge, creativity, problem-solving, and general thinking and learning. More specifically, they will have the opportunity to question and evaluate the potential relationships between the facets around failure within individual, interactional, cultural, societal, and global contexts through seminal readings and problem-solving activities oriented to real world issues. Students from any discipline are welcome to this course to learn more about how failure can be harnessed to improve our knowledge, capabilities, innovations, teamwork, and contribute to the larger global world.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis seminar is an interactive course, thus attendance and classroom participation are required.

"The course is held as 2 separate courses with each a maximum of 30 students: one course in German and one course in English."