Year two doesn’t work like year one since it only has two courses instead of four. That, however, does not mean it’s easier. The reason for having fewer courses is that students can make room for their thesis/dissertation, which is a massive effort. I spoke to some of my fellow students in my cohort who recently submitted their dissertations, and they’ve all been consistent in their experiences. The paper itself is approximately 12,000 words with 50-100 academic references. In short, this is nothing less than a full-blown research paper. While topics for the paper can vary widely, one prevailing principle remains constant: the paper must contribute to the larger scholarship of AI Ethics. This can mean many things, including furthering research in an already established area or perhaps mining a new vein of ethical research not yet explored. I think of this task much like the challenge a musician faces when attempting to make a record. Simply recording a bunch of songs isn’t enough; the songs have to be original. And good.
Here are the courses for semester one:
- New Paradigms in Ethics
- Ethics of Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Both courses have extensive reading lists designed to deeply explore their respective themes. The reading lists for EFI courses can seem daunting, especially if you’re not used to reading heavy content on moral theory and ethical deliberation. But it’s also good to be mindful of how influential the readings are on each student. Borrowing on the music analogy again, I would equate the reading to the music we listen to as we’re growing up, which invariably shapes our taste on the music we make ourselves.