AI Applications in Human Contexts Undergraduate Certificate | Program Details

An introduction to the reliable, secure, and ethical use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students will leverage Generative AI to automate content creation, content consumption, application generation and task execution. Students will learn strategies for prompting models, techniques for providing context to them, security and privacy issues that are associated with them, and the construction of applications powered by them. Students will leverage AI services to build context-aware conversational chatbots, web applications, learning assistants, and workflow automation agents.

Learning Labs are a hands-on, full-day workshops, designed to address current topics and new approaches in applied artificial intelligence. Workshop content is introduced through online materials. Students apply this knowledge and build skills in a fast-paced, structured, workshops that centers on "learning by doing" in small groups. Topics change each quarter. Labs are open to students of all backgrounds and do not require prior experience with AI or computing. This course may be repeated for credit if taken with different topics. 

Explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and the humanities, examining how AI influences and is influenced by cultural, ethical, and societal considerations. Students will engage with applications of AI in areas such as literature, history, ethics, and the arts, while critically analyzing its broader implications for society and human values. Through interdisciplinary discussions and hands-on projects, the course will equip students with the tools to evaluate and leverage AI for socially responsible and culturally aware innovations.

Examines the moral principles and judgments relevant for computer-related practices. Topics include: ethical aspects of new information technologies; are technologies value-laden; potential abuses and their social consequences; freedom, privacy, and control; security, reliability, and professional responsibilities; risks, control, and regulations; piracy and ownership; ethics of hacking; ethics of virtual environment; and international aspects of new technologies.

Study of philosophical aspects of artificial intelligence including its functionalist ontology. Topics include the nature of computation, learning, and intelligence and the role of consciousness in thinking and behavior. Expected preparation: 8 credits in any science or 8 credits in any philosophy courses.

Explores the relationship between anthropology and design. Addresses how anthropologists collaborate with designers in industry to develop new products. Students apply ethnographic methods to do rapid design research and develop prototypes of products and services. The course is useful for students interested in human centered approaches to problem solving and for students pursuing a career in designing innovative products or doing user experience research.

Examines how to start and grow a technology company. Covers the complete venture creation process: key issues in high tech markets, startup finance, growth strategies, and exit strategies. Guest lectures by practicing entrepreneurs, executives and investors. Student teams create a technology startup business around a technology of their choice (not limited to AI), using "lean startup" methodology. Students use AI-based and other tools to research, develop, write, and present their business plan to investors.

This is the same course as ETM 461 and may be taken only once for credit.

Introduces students to the foundations and transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) without requiring programming skills. Students will explore fundamental properties, opportunities, challenges, and limitations of Large Language Models by applying them to common work-related tasks and reflecting on alignment, reliability, explainability, ethics, and workplace impacts. Students will use no-code AI tools for class assignments and a quarter-long applied project, resulting in a functional AI system or AI-enabled workflow. Online, Tuesday 5:30-9:10.

Introduction to the methods of corpus linguistics, a type of computer-assisted linguistic analysis, as used in applied linguistics and TESOL. Includes weekly computer lab sessions conducting corpus linguistics work. Expected preparation is Ling 421.

Gives hands-on training in digital skills and surveys developmental trends in writing in computational environments: webpages, computer programs, word processing programs, multimodal essays. Learn core principles and methods of web design, web management, media history, and present-day uses of authoring software. Assess scholarly articles about writing and reading in computational environments.