[GEOG MAJORS] Open Informatics Courses

[Nell Gross via geogu-l]

The Informatics team has just recently opened two special topic courses for all students to register for.

INFO 498 E: Infomocracy: Sci-Fi, Democracy, and Information Systems

  *   4 credits; standard grading
  *   Course Description: Science fiction, famously, gives us a glimpse of where technology may be going. But, at its best, it can also show us where society, as a whole, is headed. What technologies underlie democracy, and what does sci-fi have to say about where all that might be headed? And what does science fiction's commentary on information technology suggest about our own time? We'll read Malka Older's novel Infomocracy and several short stories by some of the biggest names in contemporary sci-fi for answers (and to ask interesting questions). We'll also look at some nonfiction readings to contextualise it all. From cyberpunk, to spaceships and lasers, to robots and aliens, we'll dive into it all to think critically about the interplay between tech and democracy, with an eye towards seeing how information systems and democratic systems have a lot more overlap than you might expect.

INFO 498 F: Understanding and Navigating Cognitive and Behavioral Change in the AI Era

  *   4 credits; standard grading
  *   Course Description: Humans have been using tools that significantly shape our cognition and behavior. With AI's swift evolution, our working and thinking processes have been profoundly altered and enhanced in recent years. The influence of AI on our cognition and behavior remains an active area of research with diverse beliefs, theoretical frameworks, and empirical findings. This course encourages deep reflection on how AI tools might alter us in the coming decades and how we should adapt to these changes. Moreover, students will gain personal experience with these tools, observing firsthand the transformations they undergo throughout the course. To capture these shifts, the course will employ self-observation, evaluative surveys, and reflective exercises along with traditional reading reflections and class projects as learning tasks


Jordan Javier (he/him)
Program Coordinator, Informatics | Information School
javi4609 at uw.edu<mailto:javi4609 at uw.edu> | informatics at uw.edu<mailto:informatics at uw.edu>

[ilogo]
We are inspired by information. Information changes lives. We make information work.

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