Artificial Intelligence is a phrase that is in the air, but what do we mean when we say it? This course will examine that question, as well as what we mean by the more general terms "intelligence' and "thinking" as applied to living beings as well as artificial ones. We will look at various speculations and ideas from history such as the homunculus and the Golem, and the progression of modern work on calculating engines, robots, maze learning "mice," up through the idea of the General Computer with stored programs, Expert Systems, Genetic Algorithms, and Neural Networks. We will examine aspects of information theory that relate to these areas. A willingness to play with perhaps challenging hardware and software will be useful. We will also discuss ethics of behavior and social impact of versions of "successful" embodiments of AI. Building Terminator is not our goal.Science and Math (SCIMA) courses develop students' capacity for evidence-based reasoning through the study of life, earth, and physical sciences and of computational and theoretical mathematics. In these courses, students learn to recognize and interpret meaningful patterns of information; to assess the validity of empirical claims, distinguishing between opinion and fact; and to understand the sociocultural relevance of scientific and mathematical thinking.

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