Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2023
Science in Perspective  In “Science in Perspective”-courses students learn to reflect on ETH’s STEM subjects from the perspective of humanities, political and social sciences. Only the courses listed below will be recognized as "Science in Perspective" courses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Type B: Reflection About Subject-Specific Methods and ContentsSubject-specific courses. Particularly relevant for students interested in those subjects. All these courses are also listed under the category “Typ A”, and every student can enroll in these courses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0180-00L | Research Ethics  Does not take place this semester. Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-CHAB, D-HEST | W | 2 credits | 2G | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Students are able to identify and critically evaluate moral arguments, to analyse and to solve moral dilemmas considering different normative perspectives and to create their own well-justified reasoning for taking decisions to the kind of ethical problems a scientist is likely to encounter during the different phases of biomedical research. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Participants of the course Research Ethics will • Develop an understanding of the role of certain moral concepts, principles and normative theories related to scientific research; • Improve their moral reasoning skills (such as identifying and evaluating reasons, conclusions, assumptions, analogies, concepts and principles), and their ability to use these skills in assessing other people’s arguments, making decisions and constructing their own reasoning to the kinds of ethical problems a scientist is likely to encounter; | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | I. Introduction to Moral Reasoning 1. Ethics - the basics 1.1 What ethics is not… 1.2 Recognising an ethical issue (awareness) 1.3 What is ethics? Personal, cultural and ethical values, principles and norms 1.4 Ethics: a classification 1.5 Research Ethics: what is it and why is it important? 2. Normative Ethics 2.1 What is normative ethics? 2.2 Types of normative theories – three different ways of thinking about ethics: Virtue theories, duty-based theories, consequentialist theories 2.3 The plurality of normative theories (moral pluralism); 2.4 Roles of normative theories in “Research Ethics” 3. Decision making: How to solve a moral dilemma 3.1 How (not) to approach ethical issues 3.2 What is a moral dilemma? Is there a correct method for answering moral questions? 3.3 Methods of making ethical decisions 3.4 Is there a "right" answer? II. Research Ethics - Internal responsibilities 1. Integrity in research and research misconduct 1.1 What is research integrity and why is it important? 1.2 What is research misconduct? 1.3 Questionable/Detrimental Research Practice (QRP/DRP) 1.4 What is the incidence of misconduct? 1.5 What are the factors that lead to misconduct? 1.6 Responding to research wrongdoing 1.7 The process of dealing with misconduct 1.8 Approaches to misconduct prevention and for promoting integrity in research 2. Data Management 2.1 Data collection and recordkeeping 2.2 Analysis and selection of data 2.3 The (mis)representation of data 2.4 ownership of data 2.5 Retention of data 2.6 Sharing of data (open research data) 2.7 The ethics of big data 3. Publication ethics / Responsible publishing 3.1 Background 3.2 Criteria for being an author 3.3 Ordering of authors 3.4 Publication practices III. Research Ethics – External responsibilities 1. Research involving human subjects 1.1 History of research with human subjects 1.2 Basic ethical principles – The Belmont Report 1.3 Requirements to make clinical research ethical 1.4 Social value and scientific validity 1.5 Selection of study participants – the concept of vulnerability 1.6 Favourable risk-benefit ratio 1.7 Independent review - Ethics Committees 1.8 Informed consent 1.9 Respect for potential and enrolled participants 2. Social responsibility 2.1 What is social responsibility? a) Social responsibility of the individual scientist b) Social responsibility of the scientific community as a whole; 2.2 Participation in public discussions: a) Debate & Dialogue b) Communicating risks & uncertainties c) Science and the media 2.3 Public advocacy (policy making) 3. Dual use research 3.1 Introduction to Dual use research 3.2 Case study – Censuring science? 3.3 Transmission studies for avian flu (H5N1) 3.4 Synthetic biology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Course material (handouts, case studies, exercises, surveys and papers) will be available during the lectures and on the course homepage. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | What are the requirements? First and foremost your strong willingness to seriously achieve the main learning outcomes as indicated in the Course Catalogue (specific learning outcomes for each module will be provided at the beginning of the course). For successfully completing the course Research Ethics, the following commitment is absolutely necessary (but not sufficient) (observed success factors for many years!): 1. Your regular presence is absolutely required (so please no double, parallel enrollment for courses taking place at the identical time!) connected with your active participation during class, e.g. taking notes, contributing to discussions (in group as well as in plenary class), solving exercises. 2. Having the willingness and availability of the necessary time for regularly preparing the class (at least 1 hour per week, probably even more…). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0745-00L | Ethics Workshop: The Impact of Digital Life on Society Open to all Master level / PhD students. | W | 2 credits | 2S | E. Vayena, A. Blasimme, A. Ferretti, J. Sleigh | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This workshop focuses on understanding and managing the ethical and social issues arising from the integration of new technologies in various aspects of daily life. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | - Explain relevant concepts in ethics. - Evaluate the ethical dimensions of new technology uses. - Identify impacted stakeholders and who is ethically responsible. - Engage constructively in the public discourse relating to new technology impacts. - Review tools and resources currently available that facilitate resolutions and ethical practice. - Work in a more ethically reflective way. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The workshop offers students an experience that trains their ability for critical analysis and develops awareness of responsibilities as a researcher, consumer and citizen. Learning will occur in the context of three intensive workshop days, which are highly interactive and focus on the development and application of reasoning skills. The workshop will begin with some fundamentals: the nature of ethics, of consent and big data, of AI ethics, public trust and health ethics. Students will then be introduced to key ethical concepts such as fairness, autonomy, trust, accountability, justice, as well different ways of reasoning about the ethics of digital technologies. A range of practical problems and issues in the domains of education, media, society, digital health and justice will be then considered. These domains are represented respectively by unique and interesting case studies. Each case study has been selected not only for its timely and engaging nature, but also for its relevance. Through the analysis of these case studies key ethical questions (such as fairness, accountability, explainability, access etc.) will be highlighted and questions of responsibility and tools for ethical practice will be explored. Throughout, the emphasis will be on learning to make sound arguments about the ethical aspects of policy, practice and research. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0391-00L | Focus on the Human: Human-Centered Security and Privacy Lab The course is particularly suitable for all students who have already completed the course “Human-centered IT Security and Privacy” as some of the concepts introduced will practically be applied in this course. However, the relevant literature and necessary material will be provided to all students and basic concepts will be briefly summarized so that all interested students can participate. | W | 3 credits | 2S | V. Zimmermann, L. Schöni | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | After an introduction on usable security as the intersection of computer science and psychology, students will form teams and work on exemplary security- or privacy-related research questions. The teams will develop and evaluate a concept for a human-centered solution. Through input sessions and milestone presentations the human perspective will be incorporated and reflected upon. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The course makes students experience an exemplary human-centered design process. They will learn about and practically apply human-centered design and evaluation methods that will allow them to view their solution from the human perspective, e.g., the user, developer or website owner perspective. By taking part in the evaluation of other teams, they will also take the user perspective themselves. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | At the beginning of the course, the students will receive an introduction to usable IT security and privacy and relevant concepts. Afterwards, a selection of current research questions from that area will be presented. The students form teams and select one of the proposed research questions. This question will accompany the students throughout the semester. They will design and evaluate a concept for a human-centered solution to that question. To be able to do so, they will receive input on human-centered design and evaluation tools. Their progress and the inclusion of the human perspective will be subject to feedback in milestone presentations. The students’ human-centered solution can take the form of a concept (e.g., a concept for a product or app), interface (e.g., a visual or tangible interface), or prototype (e.g., sketches, a click-dummy or a built prototype). The solution will then be subject to evaluations. The solutions will be user-tested by members of other teams that thereby take the perspective of a user themselves. In addition, the solutions will be analyzed from different stakeholders’ perspectives, such as developers or website owners. Finally, the students will reflect on potential changes that results from the evaluations and their consequences. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Literature Recommendations: Adams, A., & Sasse, M. A. (1999). Users are not the enemy. Communications of the ACM, 42(12), 40-46. Cranor, L. F., & Garfinkel, S. (2005). Security and usability: designing secure systems that people can use. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.". Diefenbach, S., & Hassenzahl, M. (2017). Psychologie in der nutzerzentrierten Produktgestaltung: Mensch-Technik-Interaktion-Erlebnis. Springer-Verlag. Diefenbach, S., & Hassenzahl, M. (2010). Handbuch zur Fun-ni Toolbox–User Experience Evaluation auf drei Ebenen. Dix, A., & Finlay, J., Abowd, G., Beale, R. (2004). Human-computer interaction. Pearson - PRENTICE HALL. Garfinkel, S., & Lipford, H. R. (2014). Usable security: History, themes, and challenges. Synthesis Lectures on Information Security, Privacy, and Trust, 5(2), 1-124. Nielsen, J. (1999). Designing web usability: The practice of simplicity. New Riders Publishing. Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things: Revised and expanded edition. Basic Books (AZ). Reuter, C. (2018). Sicherheitskritische Mensch-Computer-Interaktion. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden. Sarodnick, F., & Brau, H. (2006). Methoden der Usability Evaluation. Verlag Hans Huber. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | This course is especially recommended after having participated in the related lecture/exercise "851-0390-00 G Human-Centered IT Security and Privacy". However, previous participantion in the lecture is not a requirement. Additional material will be made available so that also students with no prior knowledge in that area can participate. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0012-00L | Technology, Development, and Colonialism in the Age of Empire (c. 1800–1950) | W | 3 credits | 2S | E. Valdameri | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course explores the manifold interconnections existing between technology, development and colonialism in the period between c. 1800 and 1950. Central to this seminar is the development of technologies such as means of transportation, architecture, passports, torture techniques in relation to the colonial experience, decolonisation and development, especially in Asian and African settings. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Students will be able to a) develop new perspectives on their core subjects by bringing them in dialogue with the themes dealt with and raising ethical questions; b) familiarise with relevant topics examined by recent scholarship in the specific context of colonialism; c) think critically of the present through a better understanding of technology and development and their relationship with power. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Students learn the history of technology and development from around 1800 to 1950 through examples taking into account theoretical texts and empirical case studies from the relevant multidisciplinary scholarship with a special, albeit not exclusive, focus on colonial contexts in Asia and Africa. More specifically, students are sensitized to the historical, political and cultural variabilities of technology and development beyond their supposedly objective rationale and within discourses of so-called civilising and modernising missions. The course is structured thematically, adopts a multidisciplinary approach, and uses academic texts as well as concrete examples. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0196-00L | Philosophy of Pure and Applied Mathematics: From Foundations to Practice | W | 3 credits | 2S | Y. P.‑H. Hamami | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course is a general introduction to the philosophy of mathematics for science, mathematics and engineering students. It will introduce the main views and debates on the nature of mathematics present in contemporary philosophy. A special focus will be put on questions pertaining to the foundations of mathematics as well as on philosophical issues emerging from actual mathematical practice. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The objective of this course is to help students develop a reflective stance on what mathematics is and on its special place in the landscape of human knowledge. We expect students to be able to report the main philosophical conceptions of what mathematics is. We also expect them to be familiar with key debates in the philosophy of mathematics. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | This course is a general introduction to the philosophy of mathematics for science, mathematics and engineering students. It will introduce the main views and debates on the nature of mathematics present in contemporary philosophy. A special focus will be put on questions pertaining to the foundations of mathematics as well as on philosophical issues emerging from the actual practice of mathematics. The course is composed of four parts. Part I: Foundations of Mathematics. In this first part of the course, we will present the debates concerning the foundations of mathematics at the turn of the twentieth century. We will review the three main philosophical conceptions of mathematics developed during this period: logicism, formalism and intuitionism. Part II: Ontology and Epistemology of Mathematical Objects What is the nature of mathematical objects? And how can we acquire knowledge about them? Here we will present several ways of approaching these questions. We will discuss philosophical views that conceive mathematical objects as similar to physical objects, as creations of the human mind, as fictional characters, and as places in larger structures. We will see the strengths and weaknesses of these different views. Part III: Philosophy of Mathematical Practice In this part of the course, we will be concerned with a recent movement in the philosophy of mathematics dealing with the actual practice of mathematics. We will see two trends of research developed within this tradition. The first one aims to explain how we can think and reason mathematically with non-linguistic representations such as diagrams and symbolic notations. The second one asks whether there could be such things as explanations in mathematics and if yes what they are. The paradigmatic examples we will discuss here are mathematical proofs that not only establish that a theorem is true but also explain why it is true. Part IV: The Applicability of Mathematics to the Natural World It is a truism that mathematics is used everywhere in the natural and social sciences. But how come that mathematics applies so well to the natural world? If mathematics is just a pure game with symbols, or a pure invention of the human mind, it seems difficult to explain why it is so useful when formulating scientific theories about the world. In this part of the course, we will discuss this problem known as the applicability of mathematics, and we will see different philosophical solutions that have been developed to address it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0251-00L | Psychedelic Science: Psychology, Pharmacology, Physiology Psychotherapy, Philosophy | W | 3 credits | 2V | K. Stocker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This lecture series covers psychedelic science mainly psychologically, and additionally pharmacologically, physiologically, psychiatrically/psychotherapeutically, and philosophically. All contributions will also be reflected on from the viewpoint of the humanities and psychology. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | To provide students with a multidisciplinary introduction to psychedelic science, and to also comprehensively embed this in a reflection from a humanities/psychology viewpoint. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Psychedelic science is a multidisciplinary field of study that involves scholars of the mind and scholars of the natural sciences. In this course, psychedelic science is presented mainly from the point of view of psychology, but will additionally also be considered from the viewpoints of pharmacology, physiology, psychiatrypsychotherapy, and philosophy. All non-psychological contributions will also be reflected on from the viewpoint of the humanities and psychology. The psychedelic studies treated in this course that involve humans focus on controlled and ethically approved studies where these substances are administered to medically screened, prepared, and supported participants. Privateillicit use of psychedelics is not a topic of this course. A psychedelic experience can be characterized as a temporary nonordinary state of consciousness (NSC) that is occasioned by classic (serotonergic) psychedelics such as psilocybin, mescaline, N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Psychologically, the psychedelic experience can mainly manifest at the perceptual, cognitive, affective, volitional, and somesthetic level. The nonordinary perceptual spectrum ranges from visions (e.g., patterns or beings) to the subjective experience of an all-encompassing oneness, which also transcends the distinction between the perceiver and the perceived. The nonordinary cognitive spectrum ranges from no longer functionable thinking to very clear thinking, the nonordinary affective spectrum, for example, from deepest sadness to highest bliss, the nonordinary volitional spectrum from the feeling of being able to somewhat influence what is happening to the feeling of having no longer a will of one’s own, and the nonordinary somesthetic spectrum, for example, from feelings of bodily heavinesscompression to feelings of bodily lightnessfloating. Heuristically, as one possibility, a psychological typology of the psychedelic experience can be characterized to fall into three main types religious-like experiences (which may be interpreted religiouslyspiritually by the individuals having them, but may also be interpreted materialistically or agnostically), autobiographical experiences, and tripartite-mind (cognitionaffectconation) miscellaneous experiences. Investigating the psychedelic experience is a worthwhile endeavor as, for instance, certain aspects of this experience have been associated with increased subjective well-being both for healthy individuals as well as for patients – for example, persisting positive effects on attitudes, mood, and behavior in healthy individuals and sustained symptom reduction in individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, and addiction. Psychedelic science is overall a large multidisciplinary effort that requires collaboration of scholars of the mind and scholars of the natural sciences to advance the scientific knowledge of it. In this spirit, this course will – besides the main lecturer (PD Dr. phil. Kurt Stocker, a psychologist) – also involve further psychedelic-scientific scholars giving individual lectures in their respective field of expertise psychology (PD Dr. phil. Katrin Preller, University of Zurich & Yale University), pharmacology (Dr. phil. nat. Dino Luethi, University Hospital Basel; Dr. phil. nat. Deborah Rudin, University Hospital Basel; Prof. Dr. phil. Linda Simmler, University of Basel), physiology (PD Dr. sc. nat. Felix Scholkmann, University of Zurich & University of Bern), psychiatrypsychotherapy (Prof. Dr. med. Gregor Hasler, University of Fribourg; Dr. med. Dr. sc. ETH Milan Scheidegger, University of Zurich), and philosophy (Dr. Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, University of Exeter). Overall, this course will provide an informative overview of the research foundations that have made psychedelic science what it is today, and will also provide an identification of the research frontiers that must be addressed to expand the psychedelic science of tomorrow. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0125-71L | Whose Responsibility for What? On Individual and Collective Responsibility Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-HEST, D-MTEC, D-USYS Doctoral students can receive credit for the achievements of this course in the section "Transferable Skills". | W | 3 credits | 2G | L. Wingert | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Responsibility is a key concept in ethics: The individual's responsibility is emphasized. Contrary to that, one often points to the limits of a person's responsibility, e.g. for a stock market crash, for greenhouse gas emissions, for injust social conditions. What belongs to to our responsibility as individuals and what to our collective responsibility? And do robots have responsibilities? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | 1. Certain concepts should be clarified: e.g., the very meaning of "being responsible for one's actions and its consequences". To what extent are we responsible for the social conditions we find ourselves in? 2. One theoretical position in the philosophy of sociality holds that only individual persons (and not firms, institutions, or states) can be responsible for action and social conditions. Students should be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this thesis (methodological individualism). 3. What does responsibility mean in special social spheres like the economy and the sciences? What does a citizen's collective and personal responsibility consist in? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 851-0763-00L | Supervised Research (Law, Economics, and Data Science) | W | 3 credits | E. Ash, S. Galletta | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This is a supervised student project for 3 ECTS, supervised by the professorship of Elliott Ash (D-GESS). Students will adapt tools from econometrics and machine learning to questions in law, data science, and social science. Students must have some data science and/or statistics experience. Some programming experience in Python, Stata, or R is required. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Apply tools from data science and social science to a new project, potentially in a group, to develop a paper or app. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Some programming experience in Python, Stata, or R is required. Some experience with data science or statistics is required. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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