Ing Ind - Inf (Mag.)(ord. 270) - MI (481) COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING - INGEGNERIA INFORMATICA
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ZZZZ
090951 - PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUES OF COMPUTER SCIENCE
Obiettivi dell'insegnamento
The aim of this course is to improve the capacity of computer engineering students to critically analyze some key concepts in computer science and engineering. The first part of the course will deal with the presentation of the conceptual tools to be used in the analysis. The second part will host the discussion of key concepts and issues of computer science and engineering. The third part will consist in the supervision of the final project.
The course includes lectures by the instructor and invited lecturers; class participation will be expected, and students should apply what they learn through readings and lectures by looking at some issues in computer science and engineering in a critical way.
Risultati di apprendimento attesi
Dublin Descriptors
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
Students will:
Be acquainted with conceptual tools coming from the philosophical tradition;
Learn how to look at usual problems from a different perspective and how this different perspective can be useful in order to help provide solutions to these problems;
Be able to deal rigorously with qualitative forms of reasoning, such as in philosophy.
Applying knowledge and understanding
Students will be able:
To use critical skills in clarifying and analyzing foundational problems in computer science and engineering;
To apply conceptual tools coming from philosophy to solve some problems in computer science and engineering;
To analyze the presuppositions and the consequences of some of the most debated issues in the philosophy of computer science.
Making judgements
Students will be able:
To autonomously analyze the philosophical and foundational issues of computer science and engineering, and in particular of those issues encountered during the course of their studies;
To evaluate and select the appropriate knowledge in the effort of elaborating and justifying a philosophical argument on a topic autonomously selected.
Communication
Students will learn to:
Exercise and improve their skills in critical writing;
Present in an effective way the results of their independent research, being able to justify their choices.
Lifelong learning skills
Students will:
Be better prepared in their critical skills;
Be able to deal with argumentative forms of reasoning;
Be capable of looking at technical problems from a different conceptual perspective.
Argomenti trattati
The course will cover different topics from both a theoretical and a more practical point of view. In particular, the course will be organized in three parts:
Historical-conceptual introduction to philosophical problems of computer science and engineering: the philosophy of computer science and its topics; the disciplinary status of computer science and computer engineering; the reasons of a philosophical analysis.
Critical analysis of key concepts of computer science and engineering: computation and its philosophical aspects; the Turing test and the issues of machine intelligence; the relationships between minds, brains, and machines; the physical symbol system hypothesis; computational models of consciousness; simulations and experiments; computer ethics.
Supervision of the final project: it is required to write an original paper on one of the topics presented during the course or on related topics. This project will be supervised by the instructor in order to meet the standards required by scientific publications.
Grading will be on the following basis: 50% final project (written paper); 50% oral exam on the course topics.
Type of assessment
Description
Dublin descriptor
Final project
(written paper)
Students are required to:
Develop a philosophical argument in which the presented claims are justified by the use of argumentative skills and the relevant literature;
To present this argument in a scientific paper meeting the standard required by a scientific publication.
1, 3
4, 5
Oral exam
Questions on the course topics that require to have carefully studied the suggested bibliography and the ability to apply it to case-studies;
Questions on the philosophical and foundational issues associated to computer science and engineering that require to have studied the suggested bibliography and to have developed critical skills in analyzing these problems with the tools provided by philosophy.
1, 2
3, 4, 5
Bibliografia
Software utilizzato
Nessun software richiesto
Forme didattiche
Tipo Forma Didattica
Ore di attività svolte in aula
(hh:mm)
Ore di studio autonome
(hh:mm)
Lezione
30:00
45:00
Esercitazione
2:00
3:00
Laboratorio Informatico
0:00
0:00
Laboratorio Sperimentale
0:00
0:00
Laboratorio Di Progetto
18:00
27:00
Totale
50:00
75:00
Informazioni in lingua inglese a supporto dell'internazionalizzazione
Insegnamento erogato in lingua
Inglese
Disponibilità di materiale didattico/slides in lingua inglese
Disponibilità di libri di testo/bibliografia in lingua inglese
Possibilità di sostenere l'esame in lingua inglese
Disponibilità di supporto didattico in lingua inglese
Inglese