Digital Complexity
Digital Transformation of Science and Society
Registration
The registration takes place via RWTH Online and is possible from September 15th till October 9th. Further information about the registration process can be found in our FAQ.
All students can register for one module. You can specify two preferences. Please use the numbers “1” and “2”. If you have not been assigned a place in the project after the end of the assignment and are still interested in participating, please contact sibel.yildirim[@]ipw.rwth-aachen.de directly.
(If you have any problems with the registration or with RWTHonline, please contact Mrs. Sibel Yildirim (IPW), also stating your matriculation number: sibel.yildirim@ipw.rwth-aachen.de)
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Academic Responsibility
Holder of the Chair of “Technology and Society” at the Human Technology Center at RWTH Aachen University
Director of the Käte Hamburger International Center „Research Cultures“
Spokesperson of the HumTec, RWTH Aachen University
Rector’s Delegate for the Leonardo Project at the HumTec, RWTH Aachen University
Chair of the Philosophy of Science and Technology
Media sociologist and historian of science and communication Postdoctoral researcher and the coordinator for events at c:o/re
Contact Person
Chiara Schumann B.A.
Schedulue
Start
22.10.2025
Time
Wednesday, 16.30-18.30h (check for exceptions!)
Place
Käthe Hamburger Kolleg
Theaterstraße 75
52062 Aachen
Contents
The content is offered exclusively in English.
Current developments in the fields of simulation and artificial intelligence have shown that the complexity of digital tools has exceeded our level of understanding. We can no longer comprehend, understand and explain the results that AI delivers. Even AI deceptions and hallucinations are now almost impossible to detect. This raises the question of the relationship between humans and their technology anew. Are technologies as instruments useful extensions of human capabilities, as was understood in the classical philosophy of technology, or are we now extensions of technology? Will AI dominate us in near future?
The seminar addresses these fundamental questions as well as ethical issues of the digital transformation. It also takes a look at the development of the digital. Even though digital computers first appeared in the 1940s, there is a longer-term history of the development of the digital deeply rooted in our self-understanding as humans. Knowledge of this history makes it easier to understand current developments.
But what exactly do these current developments mean for science and society? The seminar addresses various aspects of the digital transformation from the perspective of digital complexity. Questions about explainable AI, about the well-being of people in a digital world, about the social and political impact of digital, social media are addressed, as well as the provocative question of who will be doing research in the future: humans or AI?
Learning Outcomes
- Students will acquire a foundational understanding of the concept of “digital complexity”, its different forms, and specific characteristics.
- Students will explore a wide range of connections to ‘digitality’ in contemporary pursuits, such as Artificial Intelligence.
- Students will be able to elucidate the importance of different perspectives from science studies (including philosophy of science, sociology of science, history of science, and media studies) in comprehending the phenomenon of digital complexity.
- Students will reflect on how issues related to digital complexity are not only scientific but also have political implications.
- Students will articulate how the boundary between natural and digital is becoming increasingly blurred.
- Students will develop the skill of participating in a scientific discourse and providing constructive feedback in an interdisciplinary field of study.
Program
22.10.2025 start 16:00!
Digital Complexity: De-anthropological Trends in Computing, AI, and Robotics
Prof. Dr. phil. Gabriele Gramelsberger
Chair for Theory of Science and Technology, RWTH
29.10.2025
Digitaliy as a Triad: From the Love Letter to Emotion AI
Prof. Dr. Anna Tuschling
Professor for Theory, Aesthetics and Politics of Digital Media, Institute for Media Science, Ruhr-University Bochum
12.11.2025
Computer Science and Computer Use in Public Administration in Switzerland (1960-1984)
Dr. phil. Ricky Wichum
Department of Humanities, Social and Political Sciences, History of Technology, ETH Zurich
26.11.2025
Stochastic Systems
Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Dirk Baecker
Professor of Sociology, Zeppelin Universität
17.12.2025
A Portrait of the Scientist as a User (SuperC, 8th HaPoC Conference)
Prof. Dr. Alexandre Hocquet
Professor of History of Science at the Université de Lorraine, France
07.01.2026
Reimagining Cities: Computational Thinking in the Post-War Period
Prof. Dr. Nathalie Bredella
Professor of Architectural Theory, Leibniz University Hannover
21.01.2026 start 16:00!
Did the Computer Drive Science? Hardware Development and Digital Complexity in the 20th Century
PD Dr. Ulf Hashagen
Head of the Research Institute for the History of Technology and Science, Deutsches Museum
+ Information and Q&A for Examinations
11.02.2026 (not mandatory)
Digital Complexity in Historical Perspective: Lessons from the Study of Technological Transitions in Data Production and Visualization
Dr. Charlotte Bigg
French National Centre for Scientific Research, Paris
Procedure/Working method
Depending on the course of studies, module and examination, credit points can be achieved through participation. If you would like to take an exam, please make sure beforehand how you can get credit for it in your degree program. Of course, you can also take exams without receiving curricular credit for them. Visit our FAQs for more information.
Certificate
Protocol (2 CP, not graded)
Term Paper (4 CP)
