Course	SYS 478 003: Senior-Year Seminar “Thinking” Machines, Human Choices: Power & Responsibility in AI Design & Deployment
Instructor	Dr. Sarah Van Wart (svanwart@unca.edu)
Credits	4 Credit Hours
Time & Location	Tu & Th, 3:15 PM – 4:55 PM in RRO 217
Office Hours	Mon & Wed, 2:00 – 3:00 PM (or by appointment) in Rhoades-Robinson, Rm. 220
Texts	None. There are no required textbooks or other materials that students must purchase for this course.

Course Overview

Catalog Description and Prerequisites

In the Senior-Year Seminar, SYS 478, students assume the role of global citizens to address an issue or a group of related issues of current and future importance to the world at large. Students will be expected to integrate the knowledge they have acquired through their major with the broader perspectives provided in their core curriculum courses. As such, the Senior-Year Seminar is intended to be taken in the final year. SYS 478 is a topical course taught by faculty from all disciplines. While issues covered by individual sections will vary based on faculty expertise, all sections of SYS 478 intend to raise students’ cognizance of their place in the world and the responsibilities of global citizenry. May not be used to fulfill major or minor requirements. May not be used to fulfill other requirements within the core curriculum. Students may receive credit for only one section of SYS 478. Senior Standing required and must be taken in residency.

Our SYS Course on AI & Society

This particular senior seminar examines AI as both a technical system and a public problem. We will study how systems classify, measure, predict, and detect anomalies, while asking how those technical choices shape surveillance, accountability, labor, infrastructure, environmental impact, and governance. Rather than treating AI as only software, the course approaches it as socio-technical and material: built from data, hardware, institutions, values, supply chains, and stories about what intelligence is supposed to be.

The course also includes a career-readiness strand and a substantial final project. Over the semester, students will build professional goals, communication skills, and reflective career materials that support a final senior-level artifact. That artifact may take the form of a public-facing explainer, governance brief, exhibit, memo set, presentation, or other stakeholder-facing resource that helps non-specialists reason about an emerging AI system and its possible futures.

NSF Research Project on Societal Implications of AI

The course includes a recurring case study connected to an NSF-funded research project on a new kind of brain-inspired computing technology. Researchers on the project are developing computer hardware that borrows ideas from how the cerebellum learns and responds to unexpected patterns. Because the technology is still being developed, it gives us a chance to think ahead about its possible uses and consequences rather than waiting until those uses are already established. Throughout the semester, we will use the project to ask how an emerging AI technology works, where it might be deployed, who might benefit or be affected, and what questions designers, institutions, policymakers, and the public should be asking now.

Guiding Questions

This course is organized around five recurring questions. We will return to these questions throughout the semester as we move from everyday AI systems to machine learning mechanisms, domain case studies, neuromorphic computing, governance frameworks, and final public-facing projects.

1. What kind of intelligence or capability is at issue? What are humans or machines actually doing – learning, predicting, classifying, judging, generating, noticing anomalies – and what forms of human knowledge or intelligence are being augmented, changed, or displaced?

2. How do various AI systems work from a technical perspective? What data, models, algorithms, hardware, infrastructure, and computational processes make it work?

3. How do these same systems work from a social perspective? What assumptions, values, institutions, incentives, labor, and power relations shape how it is designed, deployed, and used?

4. What happens when AI enters a particular institution or domain? How does the existing context already work, who has authority, what inequalities or tensions already exist, and what changes when AI is introduced?

5. What should be done? Who benefits and who bears risks? What should be adopted, limited, redesigned, governed, preserved, contested, or refused – and who should get to decide?

Course Materials & Schedule

Required Materials

None. There are no required textbooks or other materials that students must purchase for this course.

Required readings and other course materials, including articles, reports, videos, and other media, will be provided or linked through the course website. No additional purchase is required.

Diversity of Intellectual Perspectives

University and college courses engage diverse scholarly perspectives to develop critical thinking, analysis, and debate. Inclusion of a reading does not imply endorsement. Syllabi do not constitute an express or implied contract among the student, faculty, or institution. Rather, syllabi serve as a guide for courses. Syllabi are directed works that are developed within the scope of an instructor’s employment and under institutional direction. The institution is considered the copyright owner of course syllabi, as directed work. As such, syllabi shall be treated as “public records.” Publicly available syllabi are not required to include the location or time of day at which a course is being held. No syllabus shall include any personally identifiable information of students (e.g. race, gender, ethnicity, etc.).

Course Schedule

The meeting-by-meeting course schedule, including assigned readings and due work, is on the Course Schedule page.

Final Exam Information

Students will present their final projects during the course’s scheduled final exam period.

Assignments & Grading

Grading

Assignment	Percentage of Grade
Reading Preparation & Participation	15%
Homework & Labs	35%
Development Activities	25%
Applied AI & Society Final Project	25%

Reading Preparation & Participation

This portion of the grade reflects your preparation for class discussion and your contributions to our work as a learning community. You are expected to complete assigned readings and other materials before class and to arrive ready to ask questions, make connections, and work through difficult ideas with others.

Reading responses are intended to prepare you for class discussion and should be completed before the associated class meeting. Late reading responses will not receive credit. To provide flexibility for illness, busy weeks, and other circumstances, your two lowest reading-response scores will be dropped.

Homework & Labs

Homework and labs are the main applied work of the course. Labs make technical systems concrete so that we can examine their ethical, legal, and societal implications. Homework extends that work through analysis, writing, and other assignments connected to the week’s questions.

Specific instructions, due dates, and submission expectations will be posted with each assignment.

Development Activities

The course includes a career-readiness strand. Over the semester, you will complete professional development activities that help you clarify goals, communication skills, and reflective career materials. These activities support both your life after college and the final project.

Applied AI & Society Final Project

The final project is a senior-level public-facing artifact that helps non-specialists reason about an emerging AI system and its possible futures. It may take the form of an explainer, governance brief, exhibit, memo set, presentation, or other stakeholder-facing resource.

Students will present their final projects during the course’s scheduled final exam period.

Late or Missing Assignments

• Reading responses are intended to prepare you for class discussion and should be completed before the associated class meeting. Late reading responses will not receive credit. To provide flexibility for illness, busy weeks, and other circumstances, your two lowest reading-response scores will be dropped.
• Other assignments submitted within one week of the deadline will receive a 20% late penalty. After one week, late work will not be accepted.
• Some assignments involve presentations, collaborative activities, or other time-sensitive work and may have deadlines that cannot be extended in the same way. Any such expectations will be identified in the assignment instructions.
• Absences or deadlines covered by an approved university accommodation or other applicable university policy will be handled in accordance with that policy.

Course Expectations

Attendance

Regular attendance is a required part of this course. This is a discussion-based class, and much of our learning will happen through conversation: asking questions, working through difficult ideas, connecting concepts across readings and cases, and making sense of the material together. Missing class therefore means missing an important part of the learning that cannot always be recreated through readings or assignments alone.

You may miss up to three class meetings without a grade penalty. You do not need to provide documentation or an explanation for these absences; they are intended to provide flexibility for illness, emergencies, appointments, and other circumstances that may arise during the semester.

Beginning with the fourth absence, each additional missed class meeting will lower your final course grade by one half-letter grade step:

• 4 absences: A → A−
• 5 absences: A → B+
• 6 absences: A → B
• 7 absences: A → B−
• and so on.

The attendance penalty is applied after your final numerical course grade has been calculated from course assignments and activities.

Absences covered by an approved university accommodation or other applicable university policy will be handled in accordance with that policy. If circumstances arise that are likely to result in an extended absence, please contact me as soon as you reasonably can so that we can determine how they affect your ability to complete the course.

Participation

This course depends on active participation and collective sense-making. Many of the ideas we will encounter are complex, contested, or unfamiliar, and we will use class discussion to work through them together. You are expected to come to class having engaged with the assigned materials and prepared to contribute to our work as a learning community.

Attendance alone does not constitute participation. Meaningful participation can take many forms and does not require being the person who speaks most often. This means:

• Coming to class prepared, having completed the assigned readings or other materials.
• Bringing questions, observations, connections, or points of confusion to our discussions.
• Contributing thoughtfully to whole-class discussions, small-group activities, and other course work.
• Listening carefully to others and seeking to understand perspectives different from your own.
• Building on, questioning, or complicating one another’s ideas in ways that help the group think more deeply.
• Making space for others to contribute as well as contributing yourself.
• Giving classmates the benefit of the doubt about their competence and intentions, and expecting the same in return.
• Helping create a learning environment characterized by curiosity, respect, professionalism, and consideration for others.

Participation does not require having a fully formed opinion or arriving at the “right” answer. Asking a useful question, working through uncertainty, making a connection, identifying a tension, changing your mind, or helping the group clarify an idea are all meaningful contributions.

Disagreement, questions, mistakes, and differing perspectives are welcome. Disrespectful, disruptive, or unethical behavior is not.

Use of Technology in the Classroom

Please bring a laptop to every class meeting. We will regularly use class time for in-class activities, research, collaborative work, and exercises that require access to online resources and course materials.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Use of GenAI will vary from assignment to assignment. Please read the assignment instuctions carefully and ask the instructor if you have any questions.

University Policies & Student Resources

Accessibility

UNC Asheville is committed to providing accessible learning environments and equal opportunity to individuals with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

If you are a student experiencing barriers to access or full participation in this course on the basis of a disability, contact the Office of Accessibility (OA) to apply for reasonable accommodations and discuss available resources. You may contact the OA at accessibility@unca.edu or 828-251-6292 or visit Zageir Hall Room 120/121.

To discuss approved academic accommodations, please contact me as early in the semester as possible and provide your letter of accommodation (LOA) from the OA. I want to ensure that we have adequate time and a confidential setting to discuss and arrange your approved accommodations. Accommodations are not retroactive and will be implemented when the LOA is discussed.

Academic Alerts

As part of UNC Asheville’s student success efforts, faculty have access to an Academic Alert system. The purpose of this system is to support communication with students about their progress in courses, especially if there are concerns (e.g., academic difficulty, attendance problems). Entering an academic alert is a great way to supplement open conversations between instructors and students about how students can improve their academic performance and to activate a broader support system. An alert should only be entered after the instructor has reached out to the student directly.

When a faculty member submits an alert that expresses a concern, the student receives outreach from their academic advisor or the Student Success Specialists in the Office of Academic Advising. Students are no longer receiving automated notification emails when an alert is submitted. It is in the student’s best interest to address the alert quickly, as students who do so are more likely to earn credit for the course. Questions about the Academic Alert system can be directed to Anne Marie Roberts (amrober1@unca.edu) in the Academic Success Center.

Academic Integrity

The university’s policy on academic honesty states that “As a community of scholars dedicated to learning and the pursuit of knowledge UNC Asheville relies on the honesty and academic integrity of all the members of its community. Any act of plagiarism or cheating is academic dishonesty. A person who knowingly assists another in cheating is likewise guilty of cheating. According to the instructor’s view of the gravity of the offense, a student may be punished by a failing grade or a grade of zero for the assignment or test, or a failing grade in the course. If it seems warranted, the instructor may also recommend to the Provost dismissal or other serious university sanction.” I expect that you will exercise integrity in all quizzes, exams, and written assignments. Please email me or come see me during office hours if you have additional questions or need clarification on any point. You can find additional information regarding the policy and potential grievance procedures here: https://studenthandbook.unca.edu/student-conduct/academic-misconduct-and-grievances-procedures/

Grievance Procedures

A student grievance procedure exists to serve all enrolled students at UNC Asheville in the event that they judge they have been improperly or unfairly treated in academic matters. Written notice of the grievance must be filed with the Faculty Conciliator, who will attempt to resolve the grievance informally to the satisfaction of all parties. When such informal conciliation proves impossible, students have the right to present their grievance to a closed hearing of the Academic Appeals Board. If a grievance is unfounded the Academic Appeals Board shall provide written notification of that fact to the student, the faculty member, and the departmental Chair. If a grievance is deemed valid, the Board shall forward a written account of its deliberations, including its recommendations for redress, to the student, the faculty member, the department Chair, and the Provost. For further information, see the Academic Appeals website.

Inclement Weather

In the case of inclement weather, we will follow the policies of the university regarding cancellation, make-up classes, and late start scheduling. Announcements are delivered through the SafeZone App and will include push notifications, email, text and posts on the UNC Asheville homepage. All students, faculty, and staff are automatically registered. Confirm your contact information at Bulldog Alert.

Decisions are made as early as possible and by 6 a.m. when classes are in session. If a delayed opening is announced, only classes starting at or after that time will meet — for example, an 11 a.m. opening means all classes starting before 11 a.m. are cancelled and all classes at 11 a.m. or later proceed as usual.

Gender Equity / Sexual Misconduct

UNC Asheville is dedicated to cultivating and maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive environment, free from harassment and discrimination. We strive to ensure that all have equal access to the educational and employment opportunities the University provides. If you or someone you know has been affected by sex-based harassment or sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, dating or domestic violence, or stalking, please know that help and support are available. UNC Asheville strongly encourages all members of the community to take action, seek support, and report incidents of sexual harassment to the Office for Institutional Integrity & Access (OIIA). You may contact the OIIA or Heather Lindkvist, Assistant Vice Chancellor and Title IX Coordinator, directly at 828.232.5658 or via titleix@unca.edu or learn more by visiting the Title IX website.

As a faculty member, I am a “responsible employee” and private resource. This means that if you share any information or discuss an incident with me regarding sexual or gender-based harassment, I must disclose this information to the Title IX Coordinator. Our goal is to ensure you are aware of the range of options available to you and have access to the resources you may need.

If you wish to speak with a confidential resource, contact University Health and Counseling Services at 828.251.6520. Off-campus confidential resources include Our Voice (24-Hour Hotline at 828.255.7576) and Helpmate (24-Hour Hotline at 828.254.0516).

Harassment and Discrimination

Maintaining welcoming, respectful, and equitable living, learning, and working environments is a shared responsibility at UNC Asheville. All community members are expected to engage respectfully, foster free expression, recognize diverse viewpoints, and protect against harm. Discrimination, discriminatory harassment, and retaliation are prohibited in all educational programs and employment opportunities.

The Office for Institutional Integrity and Access (OIIA) advances these efforts and provides support to any community member who seeks assistance regarding unlawful discrimination, barriers to access, or unwelcome conduct. Individuals may contact the OIIA to report an allegation of discrimination or discriminatory harassment based on their actual or perceived status, including age, race, color, national origin, religion (including belief or non-belief), disability, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy or related conditions, veteran status, genetic information, or other legally protected status.

For guidance or to report concerns, contact Heather Lindkvist, Assistant Vice Chancellor, directly at 828.232.5658 or at hlindkvi@unca.edu or in Highsmith 116. Learn more by visiting the OIIA website.

Religious Accommodations

UNC Asheville accords students, on an individual basis, the opportunity to observe their traditional religious holy days. Students desiring to observe a religious holy day of special importance must notify me directly (suggested time frames: two weeks of the start of the semester or at least seven business days in advance of the scheduled observance). The request should be made in writing and should state (1) the specific accommodation being requested, (2) the religious practice or belief the student holds, (3) how the requested accommodation enables the student to participate in their religious practice or belief, and (4) the date(s) and/or frequency of the requested accommodation. We will then meet to discuss what reasonable accommodation will be implemented, such as options for missed discussions, exams, or other assignments. You are entitled to make up assignments without penalty due to an excused absence for a religious observance. Students may request a minimum of two excused absences per academic year for religious observances. The Office for Institutional Integrity & Access is available as a resource if students or faculty have questions about this process.

Revisions to Course Information

All materials and assignments in this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the professor. Any changes will be clearly communicated by email and updated in the course schedule.