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Course Schedule
The schedule of readings will almost certainly change during the course of the semester, depending on the interests in the class. We may not discuss all readings in class, but you should be prepared to discuss the readings if and when they come up in class discussions.
Week 1 (Jan 22): Course Intro and Concepts
Weaver "Recent Contributions to the Mathematical Theory of Communication," Wiener HUHB, Preface, Ch 1
Response 1: Introductions
Week 2 (Jan 27 – Feb 2): Feedback
HUHB ch 2-3
Response 2 (on negative feedback)
Week 3 (Feb 3 – 9): Homeostasis
HUHB ch 4-8
Response 3 (homeostasis)
Week 4 (Feb 10 – 16): The 2nd Industrial Revolution
HUHB ch 9-11
Response 4 (2nd Industrial Revolution)
Week 5 (Feb 17 – 23): Technological Singularity
Vernor Vinge, "Technological Singularity"
Ray Kurzweil: "After the Singularity," " Will Machines Become Conscious?"
Essay 1 Due Feb 23
Week 6 (Feb 24 – March 1): Predictions
25 Ways: Brockman, Lloyd, Pinker, Deutsch (Intro, chapters 1, 10, 11)
Response 5 (Predictions)
Week 7 (March 2 – 8): Privacy and Transparency
25 Ways: Pearl, Brooks, Galison, Russell (Ch 2, 6, 22, 3 )
Response 6 (Privacy)
Week 8 (March 9 – 15): Spring Break
Week 9 (March 16 – 22): Extended Spring Break
Week 10 (March 23 – 29): Risks
25 Ways: Tegmark, Tallinn, Ramakrishnan (Ch 8, 9, 18).
Future of Life Institute
Response 7 (Risks)
Research Proposals due March 29
Week 11 (March 30 – April 5): Goals
25 Ways: Dennett, Anderson, Hillis (Ch 5, 14, 17).
Bostrom "Superintelligent Will"
Response 8 (Goals)
Week 12 (April 6 – 12): Values
25 Ways: Griffiths, Dragan (Ch 12, 13)
Response 9 (Values)
Week 13 (April 13 – 19): Consciousness
25 Ways: Wilczek, Gopnik (Ch 7, 21)
Chalmers "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" (or "The Puzzle of Conscious Experience")
Response 10 (Consciousness)
Week 14 (April 20 – 26): Ethics
25 Ways: Dyson, Kaiser, Gershenfeld, Church (Ch 4, 15, 16, 23)
Response 11: Ethics
Week 15 (April 27 – May 3): The Future
25 Ways: Pentland, Wolfram (Ch 19, 25)
Response 12: The Future
Week 16 (May 4): Art
25 Ways: Obrist, Jones (Ch 20, 24)
Response 13: Art
Research paper due May 11
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