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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D-MAVT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Title | Type | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D-PHYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Title | Type | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0101-86L | Complex Social Systems: Modeling Agents, Learning, and Games Prerequisites: Basic programming skills, elementary probability and statistics. | W | 3 credits | 2S | D. N. Dailisan, D. Carpentras, D. Helbing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course introduces mathematical and computational models to study techno-socioeconomic systems and the process of scientific research. Students develop a significant project to tackle techno-socio-economic challenges in application domains of complex systems. They are expected to implement a model and to communicate their results through a project report and a short oral presentation. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | See your own field of study in a wider context (“Science in Perspective”), e.g. see the psychological, social, economic, environmental, historical, ethical,or philosophical connections and implications. Learn to think critically and out of the box. Question what you believe you know for sure. Get to know surprising, counterintuitive properties of complex (non-linearly interacting, networked, multi-component) systems. Learn about collaboration. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | By the end of the course, the students should be able to better understand the literature on complex social systems, develop their own models for studying specific phenomena and report results according to the standards of the relevant scientific literature by presenting their results both numerically and graphically. At the end of the course, the students will deliver a report, computer code and a short oral presentation. To collect credit points, students will have to actively contribute and give a circa 30 minutes presentation in the course on a subject agreed with the lecturers, after which the presentation will be discussed. The presentation will be graded. Students are expected to implement themselves models of techno-socio-economic processes and systems, particularly agent-based models, complex networks models, decision making, group dynamics, human crowds, or game-theoretical models. Credit points are finally earned for the implementation of a mathematical or empirical model from the complexity science literature, its presentation, and documentation by a project report. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | The lecture slides will be presented on the course Moodle after each lecture. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Agent-Based Modeling https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-24004-1_2 Social Self-Organization https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642240034 Traffic and related self-driven many-particle systems Reviews of Modern Physics 73, 1067 https://journals.aps.org/rmp/abstract/10.1103/RevModPhys.73.1067 An Analytical Theory of Traffic Flow (collection of papers) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261629187 Pedestrian, Crowd, and Evacuation Dynamics https://www.research-collection.ethz.ch/handle/20.500.11850/45424 The hidden geometry of complex, network-driven contagion phenomena (relevant for modeling pandemic spread) https://science.sciencemag.org/content/342/6164/1337 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The number of participants is limited to the size of the available computer teaching room. The source code related to the seminar thesis should be well enough documented. Good programming skills and a good understanding of probability & statistics and calculus are expected. Students need to present a new subject, for which they have not earned any credit points before. Good scientific practices, in particular citation and quotation rules, must be properly complied with. Chatham House rules apply to this course. Materials may not be shared without previous written permission. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0742-01L | Contract Design II Does not take place this semester. To be considered for Contract Design II, you must have completed Contract Design I in the same semester. Students can only register for Contract Design II after having obtained approval by Prof. Stremitzer. | W | 1 credit | 1U | A. Stremitzer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Contract Design II is a masterclass in the form of an interactive clinic that allows you to deepen your understanding of contracting by applying insights from Contract Design I to a comprehensive case study. Together with your classmates, you are going to advise a (hypothetical) client organization planning to enter a complex transaction on how to structure the underlying contract. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | There is a possibility that representatives from companies that were previously engaged in similar deals will visit us in class and tell you about their experience firsthand. In Contract Design I, you will receive more detailed information on the content and learning objectives of Contract Design II. If you have urgent questions, please do not hesitate to send an e-mail to Professor Stremitzer’s Teaching Assistant Diego Caldera (diegoalberto.calderaherrera@uzh.ch). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | To enable you to work under the close supervision of your professor and his team, only a small group of students with backgrounds in law, business, or engineering is admitted to this course. This simulation is time-consuming and challenging. Hence, we can only admit the most successful and motivated students to this class. Further information on the application process will follow. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0162-00L | Philosophy of Physics | W | 3 credits | 2S | M. Hampe, R. Wallny | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Close reading of and reflection about selected texts from physicists (e.g. C.F: Weizsäcker, Wilczek, Susskind) on the philosophical problems and consequences of their work. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Participants should develop a clear view of the epistemological foundations of their work and its consequences for philosophy of science and philosophy of nature. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Newton's opus magnum of 1687 is still called a philosophy of nature: "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica". The separation of physics from philosophy is new, and institutionally executed only in the 19th century. Since than the experiment is not a philosophical method and mahematical symbolization not part of the languages of philosophy anymore. But although the subjects were divided methodically they stayed in contact via their content. This can be seen in the reflexions of physicists like C. F: v. Weizsächer, Frank Wilczek or Leonard Susskind, who were all concerned with epistemological questions and topics related to the philosophy of science and philosophy of nature. The seminar is devoted to these reflections and will ask in what relation the philosophy of physicists stands to the physics of their time. We will discuss problems of the unity of physics, of emerging laws and of the beauty or ugliness of the physical universe resp. the theories about it. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | see moodle | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The course follows the concept of an "inverted classroom". A prerequisite is that the relevant texts have been read prior to the lecture. The assistants will give support. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| D-USYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | Title | Type | ECTS | Hours | Lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 860-0023-00L | International Environmental Politics Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-USYS. | W | 3 credits | 2V | T. Bernauer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course deals with how and why international problem-solving efforts (cooperation) in environmental politics emerge and evolve, and under what circumstances such efforts are effective. Based on concepts and theories of political economy, political science, and public policy, various examples of international environmental policy-making are examined. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The objectives in this course are to (1) gain an overview of important questions pertaining to international environmental politics from a social sciences viewpoint; (2) learn how to identify interesting/innovative questions in this policy area and how to address them in a conceptually and methodologically meaningful and insightful way; (3) gain an overview of important global and regional environmental problems and how they are or could be solved. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | This course deals with how and why international problem-solving efforts (cooperation) in environmental politics emerge and evolve, and under what circumstances such efforts are effective. Based on concepts and theories of political economy, political science, and public policy, various examples of international environmental policy-making are examined, for example international efforts to reduce air pollution, manage international water resources, mitigate and adapt to global warming, protect the stratospheric ozone layer, address biodiversity challenges, deal with plastic waste, and prevent pollution of the oceans. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Reading materials and slides will be available via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Reading materials and slides will be available via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | Access / Prerequisites The course is open to all ETH students and visiting students from other universities. Participation does not require previous coursework in the social sciences or environmental policy. This course will take place on campus (ETH Main Building, HG F.3). There will be no live-streaming, and the course is NOT in hybrid (on-campus plus online) format. However, the lecture will be recorded and the recordings will be made available via the Moodle platform for this course a few days after the respective lecture for students who are unable to attend in person. All electronic correspondence will take place via the ETH mystudies system and Moodle, so please make sure you are properly registered there with a functioning email address/account. Credits and Exam After passing a written test at the end of the course (requirement: grade 4.0 or higher) students will receive 3 ECTS credit points. The workload is around 90 hours (meetings, reading assignments, preparation of test). Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich, exchange students) are subject to the same conditions. Registration of visiting students in the web-based system of ETH is compulsory. Students who obtain a grade of < 4.0 for the test will have a second chance (see table below). Students who did not participate in the test on 18 December 2023 will not have access to the repeat test unless they submit compelling and documented (e.g. medical, other exam in parallel at ETH) reasons for why they were unable to participate in the first test. It covers all contents of the lectures and the reading assignments. Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich or other universities) are subject to the same conditions. Registration for the course in the mystudies system of ETH is compulsory. No separate registration for the exam is required, registration for the course as such covers everything. The exam will take place on campus, either in the F3 lecture hall or in a computer room. That is, you must be present in person at ETH Zurich on the exam date/time. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0707-00L | Space Planning Law and Environment Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-USYS. | W | 2 credits | 2G | O. Bucher | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | System of swiss planning law, Constitutional and statutory provisions, Space planning and fundamental rights, Instruments, Application, legal protection, enforcement, Practical training. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Basic unterstanding of nature and function of space planning from a legal point of view. Basic knowledge of space planning instruments, relationship between space planning and constitutional law (especially property rights), solving of practical cases. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Die Vorlesung basiert wesentlich auf der Mitwirkung der Studenten. Es finden 3 Sitzungen im Hörsaal statt, in welchen sich in der Praxis stellende Probleme erörtert werden. Die Vorbereitung auf die jeweiligen Sitzungen erfolgt an Hand von Fallbearbeitungen und einem Selbststudium an Hand des Lehrbuchs zum Raumplanungs- und Baurecht. Lösen von drei Aufgaben (praktischen Fällen) mit je genügender Leistung für die Erlangung der KP. Als Lernhilfe werden Anleitungen und insbesondere ein Musterfall mit Musterlösung zur Verfügung gestellt. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Haller, Walter/Karlen, Peter, Raumplanung-, Bau- und Umweltrecht, 3.A., Zürich 1999 Hänni, Peter, Planungs-, Bau- und besonderes Umweltschutzrecht, 7.A., Bern 2021 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 701-0703-00L | Environmental Ethics (University of Zurich) No enrolment to this course at ETH Zurich. Book the corresponding module directly at UZH as an incoming student. UZH Module Code: 07SMEEE266 Please register at: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/de/studies/application/chmobilityin.html after you received your logon information you can enrol to courses at: https://studentservices.uzh.ch/uzh/application#/Logon Mind the enrolment deadlines at UZH: https://www.uzh.ch/cmsssl/en/studies/application/deadlines.html | W | 3 credits | 2V | University lecturers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | The pressing environmental challenges of today demand a critical reflection. Ethics is an important tool for doing so. This lecture introduces the basics of ethics and provides in-depth knowledge of environmental ethics and its debates. This theoretical background will be applied and critically reflected using examples of current environmental challenges. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | On completion of this lecture, you have acquired the ability to identify, analyze, critically reflect and resolve ethical challenges in general and specifically regarding the environment. You know basic concepts, positions and lines of argumentation from the debate in environmental ethics, which you have applied and discussed in smaller exercises. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 701-0747-00L | Environmental Policy of Switzerland | W | 3 credits | 2G | E. Lieberherr | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course presents the basics of public policy analysis and the specific characteristics of Swiss environmental policy. Policy instruments, actors and processes are addressed from a political science perspective both theoretically as well as by means of current Swiss environmental policy examples. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Beyond acquiring basic knowledge about public policy analysis, this course teaches students how to analytically address current and concrete questions of environmental policy. Through exercises the students learn about political science concepts and frameworks as well as real-life political decision-making processes. The well-grounded examination of complex political conflict situations is an important precondition for the entry into the (environmental policy) workforce or a future research career. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The processes of change, overuse or destruction of the natural environment through humans have historically placed high demands on social and political institutions. In the interplay between the environment, society and economy, the environmental policy field encompasses the sum of public measures that have the goal to eliminate, reduce or avoid environmental degradation. The course systematically presents the basics of environmental policy instruments, actors, programs and processes as well as their change over time. Invited practitioners will provide us with insight regarding the current developments in forest, water and spatial planning policies. A key aspect is the distinction between politics and political science and specifically environmental policy. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | The reader and additional lecture material and exercises will be posted on Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Reader and additional lecture material on moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The detailed semester program (syllabus) is made available to the students at the beginning of the semester. During the lecture we will work with Moodle and eduApp. We ask that all students register themselves on these platforms before the lecture and to bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to class, so that you can complete exercises using Moodle and eduApp. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0724-01L | Real Estate Property Law Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-USYS. | W | 3 credits | 3V | S. Stucki, R. Müller-Wyss | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | Real estate property law (esp. content, acquisition, restrictions under private and public law, transmission and loss). Legal presentation: land register, surveying, cadastre. Basic questions of contract and tax law. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | The legal principles of real estate property law can be correctly interpreted and applied in daily life. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | Real estate property law (esp. content, acquisition, restrictions under private and public law, transmission and loss). Legal presentation: land register, surveying, cadastre. Basic questions of contract and tax law. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Abgegebene Unterlagen: Skript in digitaler Form | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | - Adrian Mühlematter / Stephan Stucki: Grundbuchrecht für die Praxis, Zürich 2016 - Wolfgang Ernst / Samuel Zogg: Sachenrecht in a nutshell, Zürich 2020 - Jörg Schmid / Bettina Hürlimann-Kaup: Sachenrecht, Zürich 2017 - Meinrad Huser, Schweizerisches Vermessungsrecht, unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Geoinformationsrecht und des Grundbuchrechts, Zürich 2014 - Meinrad Huser, Geo-Informationsrecht, Rechtlicher Rahmen für Geographische Informationssyteme, Zürich 2005 - Meinrad Huser, Darstellung von Grenzen zur Sicherung dinglicher Rechte, in ZBGR 2013, 238 ff. - Meinrad Huser, Baubeschränkungen und Grundbuch, in BR/DC 4/2016, 197 ff. - Meinrad Huser, Publikation von Eigentumsbeschränkungen - neue Regeln, in Baurecht 4/2010, S. 169 - Meinrad Huser, Der Aufteilungsplan im Stockwerkeigentum: Neue Darstellung – grössere Rechtsverbindlichkeit, in ZBGR 2020, S. 203 ff. - Meinrad Huser, Datenschutz bei Geodaten, in: Passadelis/Rosenthal/Thür, Datenschutzrecht, Basel 2015, S. 513 ff. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 851-0125-71L | 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? | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Competencies |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 860-0012-00L | Cooperation and Conflict Over International Water Resources Does not take place this semester. This lecture is no longer offered from the autumn semester of 2023. | W | 3 credits | 2G | T. Bernauer | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Abstract | This course focuses on the technical, economic, and political challenges of dealing with water allocation and pollution problems in large international river systems. It examines ways and means through which such challenges are or can be addressed, and when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Learning objective | Ability to (1) understand the causes and consequences of water scarcity and water pollution problems in large international river systems; (2) understand ways and means of addressing such water challenges; and (3) analyse when and why international efforts in this respect succeed or fail. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Content | The first six meetings serve to acquire basic knowledge on the science and politics of international water management. This will be followed by five meetings that focus on specific cases (international river systems) and a meeting where we discuss what can be learned from the five cases. For this part of the class we have invited several colleagues with long-standing expertise on the respective international river basin. 20.Sep Global water challenges 27.Sep Nuts and bolts of hydrological modeling and what such models can tell us 04.Oct Nuts and bolts of hydrological modeling and what such models can tell us 11.Oct Water pollution and its mitigation 18.Oct Key challenges in international river systems 25.Oct Key challenges in international river systems 01.Nov Case study 1: Yarmuk 08.Nov Case study 2: Mekong 15.Nov Case study 3: Colorado 22.Nov Case study 4: Nile 29.Nov Case study 5: Central Asia 06.Dec Wrap up: what we can learn from these case studies 13.Dec Exam 20.Dec No class Exam: 3 ECTS, based on grade ≥ 4.0 in written test at the end of the semester. 90 minutes; 13 December 2022, 12:15 – 13:45; same room as the course. The exam covers the mandatory reading assignments as well as lectures and discussion parts in class. The exam will consist of around ten questions that require answers in a few sentences each. Permitted supporting material: dictionary, ink-based pen, no laptops, no mobile phones, no calculators, no printed or hand-written material. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lecture notes | Slides and reading materials will be made available via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literature | Slides and reading materials will be made available via Moodle. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prerequisites / Notice | The course is open to Master and doctoral students from any area of ETH. Limited to 40 students. Most meetings will take place on campus, with no recording of meetings. Participation in this course only makes sense if you can attend classes regularly in person. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page
7
of
7
All