Problems of contemporary civilization

general courses

The lecture is devoted to selected issues of problems of modern civilization divided into seven thematic blocks. The main goal of the lecture is to provide the audience - students and doctoral students of any profile of studies - basic knowledge about the presented issues and shaping a belief of the importance for the well-being of the Earth and the life of societies. Each issue is covered in a four-hour lecture, each given by an prominent specialist.

Achievements and Developments in Genetics (Prof. Ewa Bartnik, University of Warsaw)

The Human Genome Project and what's next: costs of genetic research, genetic tests for genetic diseases and possibilities of their use. The spread of cancer - scale and reasons. Understanding the process of tumor formation and the effectiveness of therapy.

Artificial Intelligence – a Challenge for Civilization in the 21st Century (Dr hab. Marcin Rojszczak, Warsaw University of Technology)

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) applications is increasingly identified as a key challenge of modern civilization. The purpose of the lecture is to discuss selected legal and regulatory aspects related to the related to the AI market, in particular such issues as the explainability of decisions, reliability and security of information processing, "ownership" of AI systems and the results of their work. Can AI systems be wrong, can their decisions be motivated by implicit biases, is it reasonable to expect these systems to act "ethically," and by what measure can this ethics be measured?

Social Issues (Prof. Adam Bodnar, SWPS University)

New architecture of international human rights protection. Due to populism and the weakness of international institutions in implementing judgments and recommendations, international human rights protection has become less effective. The question is whether it is possible to fix the system when states commitment to human rights is getting weaker and weaker. Do we need new fundamental rights? Should changes in civilization lead us to reflect on what rights we need and to what extent they should protect us from state omnipotence?

Ethical Challenges of Technoscience Development (Prof. Roman Z. Morawski, Warsaw University of Technology)

Basic notions: technoscience, ethics, ethics of technoscientific research. Ethical premises of decision-making processes in technoscience. Examples of ethical dilemmas arising in technoscientific research practice. Challenges of integrating ethics with robotics and artificial intelligence.

Climate and Planetary Crisis (Prof. Szymon Malinowski, University of Warsaw)

Climate and biodiversity crisis - a planetary crisis. Climate mechanisms and the threat of global warming. Links between the development of civilization and the parallel crisis of biodiversity. Recent ideas for solving or at least reducing the threat of crises.

Infrastructure and Public Services (Dr hab. Krzysztof Koszewski, Prof. Krysyna Solarek, Warsaw University of Technology)

Challenges of contemporary urban design. In 2007, the number of people living in cities globally exceeded the number living outside urban areas. It is forecast that in 2050 this will already be three quarters of the world's population. As urban organisms grow, they also become more complex. How can we deal with such complexity?

What is modern city planning and how is the design paradigm changing?

Health Problems of Modern Societies (Prof. Aneta Nitsch-Osuch, Medical University of Warsaw)

Introduction to epidemiology of infectious diseases. History of epidemics and pandemics. Ways of limiting/fighting pandemics. Effects of pandemics and potential impact on society, art, science. Current epidemiological threats. Anti-vaccine movements. Epidemiological surveillance.

Literature will be provided during lectures.

Learning outcomes Students who have passed the subject:

• The student who has completed the course: has basic knowledge about selected problems of contemporary civilization related to: global problems, trust and social roles, challenges connected with the development of science and technology, health problems of contemporary societies, culture and art in modern societies, infrastructure and public services, achievements and directions of science and technology development;

• He/she can evaluate the importance of the discussed problems of modern civilization and express his/her opinion in the form of an essay on a selected topic;

• He/she understands the need for constant enrichment of knowledge about the problems of modern civilization and is aware of the importance of disseminating this knowledge in a way comprehensible to a wide social circle.

An essay on a selected lecture topic, graded and an assessment of class activity.