Peking University, Beijing

This course is an introduction to the ethical problems raised by artificial intelligence (AI) research and technology, including algorithmic bias, automation and employment, autonomous vehicles, autonomous weapons, engineering moral machines, existential risk, human–robot interaction, interpretability, machine consciousness, manipulation of behaviour, and more.

This course moves thematically and chronologically from the Pax Romana established by Augustus to the rise of imperial cities in Africa under Septimius Severus. Themes of peace, triumph and conflict will be viewed through a series of core-and-periphery test cases. Themes will include Augustan Peace, The Wars in Judaea, The Spoils of Territorial Expansion under Trajan (looking at Dacia and Parthia), Territorial Consolidation under Hadrian (exploring Rome and Britain) and the Art of Ruling in Absentia (as exemplified by Marcus Aurelius’ reign on the Danube). Students will analyze the Roman conceptualization of events taking place on the fringe of empire and the nature of their portrayal at the administrative core in terms of Roman imperial expansion and later contraction and collapse. Imperial propaganda will be investigated through a reading of the most famous imperial architectural designs in Rome and tested against archaeological evidence for daily life in the related provinces. 

This course will cover the important concepts and theories in mainstream social psychology,including how individuals look at themselves and others,critical thinking about social phenomena, human aggression and helping behavior, attitude formation and change, social influence and its performance, the foundation of interpersonal relationships and intimacy, group psychology and behavior, how culture affects people, the psychosocial factors that affect human health, and the latest positive psychology. This course focuses on the application of social psychology in social life, the formation and maintenance of interpersonal relationships, principles of interpersonal communication and conflict resolution, and a smooth team work. This course will also focus on contemporary scholars' researches on human psychology and behavior under different cultural backgrounds. Through this course, students will master the research contents, research methods and major research results of social psychology and better understand social life and events.

This course emphasizes the integration of theory and practice, guiding students to learn and apply programming methods to solve common application problems with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. Starting from the basic principles of computers and artificial intelligence, the course covers the basic syntax of the Python language and preliminary programming methods. It introduces the basic operation methods of large-scale language models in artificial intelligence through several applications such as text processing, data visualization, and internet data acquisition. This allows students to initially grasp the method of problem-solving through programming design, encourages them to consciously use large-scale language models in artificial intelligence to improve learning efficiency and programming skills, and enables them to solve more complex common application problems. The content of the course includes the principles of computers, basic concepts and technical principles of artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence and large language models, data types in the Python language, control structures, functions and modules, text processing and numerical computation, data processing and chart analysis, internet technology, and common algorithms.

Through this course, student will understand fundamental principle and theory of database system, be able to do practical applications, learn about the new advance in data management techniques. This course covers topics including relational model, SQL language, ER model, relational database design, introduction to the transaction system and database performance tuning.

This course covers a range of topics, from the more traditional arts to the creative industries (such as music, film, games, broadcasting, and publishing), as well as the economics of artists' labour, markets and copyright, especially emphases the role of digitisation across the creative industries.

This course teaches students the primary strategies and techniques of English-Chinese translation as well as the rudimentary methods of non-literary and literary English-Chinese translation through lectures, in-class exercises and guidance, as well as assignments and feedback. It also aims at familiarizing students with the basic workflow of translation as well as the fundamental theories and notions related to translation practice.