The minor combines key elements from topics within the sciences and humanities to help students chart their own path through the emergent field of digital practices, including AI.
Minerva University, ranked the World’s Most Innovative University, is innovating its curriculum once more with the launch of a minor in Interdisciplinary Digital Practices. This is the latest addition to the academic program since a minor in Sustainability was announced in 2022.
Starting this semester, all Minerva students will have the ability to pursue a minor that explores the imprint of digital technology, including artificial intelligence, on humanity, while further integrating digital tools into their studies. The new minor draws exciting connections across existing courses in a range of subjects such as statistical modeling, problem-solving, morality, identity and justice, comparative politics, and applied economics, equipping students to excel in an increasingly digital global society.
Students minoring in Interdisciplinary Digital Practices will be engaged in work that brings digital tools into historical analyses, the creation of art, and the mapping of human systems. They will also analyze the ethical implications of our increasingly data-driven lives and the uses of responsible AI in professional contexts.
Rose Njuguna, Class of 2024, will be the first Minerva student to earn a minor in Interdisciplinary Digital Practices when she graduates in May. She said the minor offered her “an opportunity to uniquely blend creative expression, technical skill development, and critical thinking, to explore the intersections of art, technology, and contemporary societal issues.”
“I wanted to better understand system dynamics in today’s digital era. I am very passionate about social entrepreneurship and hope to continue effecting meaningful change and creating tangible impact, particularly in underserved communities and marginalized populations,” said Njuguna, a Computational Sciences major.
Njunguna participated in a seven-student senior tutorial class this semester titled "AI Ethics and Social Justice," alongside peers majoring in Computational Sciences, Business, and Arts and Humanities.
"This has been a class that really highlights the unique benefits of cross-college peer learning,” said Melissa Yates, Professor of Moral and Political Philosophy. “Students have designed activities that experiment with and analyze AI technologies, from the creation of an image classifier to help us understand where ethical concerns arise in the development pipeline to analyses of the impacts of AI uses in the selection and censorship of ads in social media contexts."
Students in Digital Practices Tutorial classes design and teach their own lessons, providing a unique opportunity for students to showcase and extend their research interests in a deeply interdisciplinary context.
“I aspire to continue leveraging my interdisciplinary background to navigate the complex intersections of technology, ethics, and society whether it be addressing algorithmic bias, advocating for AI constitutionalism, or promoting inclusive design principles,” said Njunguna.
Learn more about the minors available at Minerva.
About Minerva University:
Named the World’s Most Innovative University by World’s Universities with Real Impact (WURI), Minerva University combines a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum of the highest academic quality, a global immersive residential experience, a cutting-edge digital learning environment, and an accomplished faculty versed in the science of learning to develop problem solvers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. Minerva students represent more than 100 countries and territories from every corner of the globe.
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