PHIL 2330

I have mixed feelings about this class. While I felt I learned a lot about current theories of mind and artificial intelligence, it was hard at times without a philosophy background. The readings are hard, long, and frequent. There are paper assignments every 2 weeks that take some time to write. Prof. Humphreys is pretty good at explaining some of the more abstract concepts, but the topic as a whole seems extremely broad and pretty far out of reach. I liked what I learned, but I wouldn't recommend this class based on the difficulty of the material

This is a course with a lot of potential but it is unfortunately bogged down by a lot of somewhat boring material, at least in my opinion. A lot of the material is centered around topics that are only tangentially related to AI, some of which is interesting (like our discussions about identity and representation theory) and some of which was not ("""Big data""" from a non-technical angle, very corporate buzzwordy). However, it is fairly easy to get through if you put in the time and effort to pay attention in class and at least skim the readings. The final is the only part of the class I thought was particularly challenging, but if you study in advance for by doing the readings and looking at the slides it shouldn't be too painful. I would suggest staying away from this class if you're completely uninterested in philosophy, but if you like thinking about ethical dilemmas and are interesting arguments in the context of AI I would recommend it. It also counts for a 2nd writing requirement/STS 2XXX/3XXX Elective, which is a nice plus. This is NOT a class for in-depth technical discussion on AI; if you want that I would suggest CS4710

PHIL2330 has been one of the best courses I have ever taken. It was difficult sometimes, but I learned so much about AI and other philosophical concepts about personal identity, big data, and social media. It was hard, but I am glad that I took it. Overall, there are three 1000 words papers throughout the semester and one 2000 paper where you can choose any topic you want from the readings. I had a lot of fun with the 2000 paper, and it prepares you to write a thesis if you are aiming for the DMP for any major. The final exam was challenging, but if you went to lectures and understood every argument and the connection between readings, you should be fine - not to mention that the professor will provide a study guide that is super helpful for the final. In other words, if you can complete the study guide and understand everything, you should be fine. It counts for the 2nd writing requirement and a non-CS elective for the BACS majors. The last thing is that the professor is super helpful and always willing to adjust the class to benefit their students and created small assignments during lectures to help everyone understand the abstract arguments and concepts. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is a BACS major or simply interested in AI and is looking for a valuable and challenging class.