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Education

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Minor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence

The Department of Computer Science and Engineering coordinating with other departments across campus offers a minor in responsible artificial intelligence open to engineering and non-engineering majors. Requirements for the minor are outlined in the Computer Science and Engineering section of this chapter.

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Minor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence

Directors: Yi Fang and Susan Kennedy

The Minor in Responsible AI is designed to provide students with the technical proficiency needed to develop AI systems and the ethical foundation to ensure AI is developed and deployed equitably, transparently, and for the broader good of society. This minor will bridge the gap between technology and ethics to equip students with a multifaceted understanding of the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence.

Requirements for the Minor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence

All undergraduate students are eligible for the minor in Responsible Artificial Intelligence. Students must fulfill the following requirements for the minor; multiple options are available for these requirements, affording students a great deal of flexibility in completing the minor. Students should check the prerequisites of the classes and make sure they can be met before planning their schedule and/or registering for them.

Computing Foundation:

Select one of the following options:

  • Option A: CSEN 10&10L. Introduction to Programming (5 units); CSEN 11&11L. Advanced Programming (5 units); CSEN 12&12L. Abstract Data Types and Data Structures (5 units); CSEN 19 (cross-listed as MATH 51). Discrete Mathematics (4 units).
  • Option B: CSCI 10. Introduction to Computer Science (5 units); CSCI 60. Introduction to C++ and Object-Oriented Programming (5 units); CSCI 61. Data Structures (5 units); CSCI 62. Advanced Programming; CSEN 19 (cross-listed as MATH 51). Discrete Mathematics (4 units).
  • Option C: OMIS 30: Introduction to Programming (5 units); OMIS 114: Data Science with Python (5 units).

Technology Ethics. Select one of the following two courses.

  • *ENGR 19. Ethics in Technology (4 units)
  • *PHIL 22. Ethics in the Digital Age (4 units)

AI Ethics: *PHIL 130. Ethics in AI. (5 units)

AI Technology: CSEN 166. Artificial Intelligence (5 units) or OMIS 116. Applied Machine Learning (5 units)

Elective Courses (4 units minimum):

  • BIOE 180: Clinical Trials: Design, Analysis and Ethical Issues
  • COMM 141. AI and The Human in Cinema
  • COMM 155. Media Psychology
  • COMM 170A: Human Centered AI
  • COMM 171: Tech & Inequality in Silicon Valley
  • COMM 173: Big Data Analysis
  • *COMM 185. Identity, Privacy, and Politics in the Digital Age
  • *ENGL 25. Textual Editing
  • ENGL 26. Introduction to Writing in STEM
  • *ENGL 108. Writing in STEM
  • *ENGL 109. Internet Culture and Information Society
  • *ENGL 112. Technical Writing and Communication
  • ENGL 189. Professional/Digital Writing Internship
  • ENGR 16: Values in Technology
  • *FREN 177. Technology, Science, and Society: From Romanticism to the Digital Age
  • *HIST 27/127: Digital and Public History
  • *HIST 79/179: Technology: Steam to Cyborgs
  • HIST 86: Technology, Labor, and Capitalism
  • *PHIL 40. Science, Technology, and Society
  • *PHIL 165. Philosophical Issues in Virtual Reality
  • *SOCI 49. Tech, Social Media, and Society
  • *SOCI 127a: Leadership4Good: Ethics and Social Justice in the Digital Age
  • *SOCI 128. Spirituality and Ethics in the Digital Age
  • SOCI 142. Change Agents and Tech4Good
  • *SOCI 149. Tech, Innovation, and Culture

The asterisk * indicates these courses cannot be used to satisfy university core requirements.

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Table 1 summarizes the course requirements for the minor and Table 2 shows the course plan for different majors (Philosophy, OMIS, CSEN/ECEN/WDE, and CS) to complete this minor.  The curriculum requires CSEN/ECEN/WDE/OMIS majors to take at least three ethics/humanities courses: Technology Ethics, AI Ethics, and an elective from the humanities-focused list, in addition to the University's core ethics course. This may be a slightly heavier load compared to some minors, but it remains achievable while enhancing the ethical foundations of the computing students. Philosophy majors, without prior computing experience, can take three computing courses alongside the Technology Ethics course (PHIL 22) to meet the minor requirements. Notably, the computing courses OMIS 30, 114, and 116 are tailored for being accessible to non-computing students, utilizing high-level programming languages and offered by the business school. In addition, students from other majors (e.g., Communication, History, Sociology, English, etc.) can fulfill the minor with these computing courses and two ethics courses, making the minor practical for a diverse range of students.

Table 1. A summary of course requirements for the minor. The asterisk * indicates these courses cannot be used to satisfy university core requirements.

Computing Foundation

Option A (4 courses): CSEN 10, 11, 12, 19

Option B (5 courses): CSCI 10, 60, 61, 62, CSEN 19

Option C (2 courses): OMIS 30, 114

Technology Ethics*

PHIL 22 or ENGR 19

AI Ethics*

PHIL 130

AI Technology

CSEN 166 or OMIS 116

Elective*

At least one course from the humanities-focused elective list

 

Table 2. Course plan for different majors to complete this minor. The + indicates the courses beyond the major and university core requirements.

 

Philosophy

OMIS

CSEN/ECEN/WDE

CS

Computing Foundation

Option C +

Option C

Option A

Option B

Technology Ethics

PHIL 22 +

PHIL 22 +

ENGR 19 +

PHIL 22 +

AI Ethics

PHIL 130

PHIL 130 +

PHIL 130 +

PHIL 130 +

AI Technology

OMIS 116 +

OMIS 116

CSEN 166

CSEN 166

Elective

An upper division Philosophy course

A course from the elective list +

A course from the elective list +

A course from the elective list +

Total Number of Courses

6

8

8

9

# of Computing Courses

3

3

5

6

# of Courses beyond the Major and Core

4

3

3

3