As a student here, I am always amazed by the sheer number of courses Swarthmore offers. Although we only have 1,700 students, we offer over 600 courses across 40 fields. And that’s just the beginning! As Swarthmore students, we can access many more classes thanks to our Tri-College Consortium. This allows us to take courses at Bryn Mawr and Haverford, provided Swarthmore doesn’t offer the same class during the same semester. And it gets even better: we have a free shuttle that runs between the three schools. It’s an incredible program that expands the number of people you connect with on and off our campus.
Furthermore, the Quaker Consortium allows us to co-register with particular University of Pennsylvania classes, which is remarkable. Overall, this consortium provides us with a variety of coursework, students, and professors you would not have access to at another school.
The professors at Swarthmore are astounding. Their credentials are incredible: some have their own Wikipedia pages, others have authored or co-authored books, and a large percentage have work published in famous newspapers, websites, etc. For example, in my freshman year, I had an English professor who translated his own copy of Beowulf, which we read in the class “Monsters, Marvels, and Mysteries.” The professors are genuinely passionate, care about their students, and ensure that you (as their student) have the ability to have hands-on, engaging experiences with the course material and beyond.
Of the 16 classes I’ve taken so far, my favorite is “Ethics and Technology.” This seminar, held from 1-4 pm on Wednesdays, was cross-listed between Philosophy and Computer Science. We had the privilege of learning from two professors with different expertise—one in philosophy and the other in computer science. This combination of professors fostered an incredibly well-thought-out classroom environment.
In this class, we explored moral philosophy and the art of making strong arguments. We also got a taste of coding and delved into the intricacies of AI, including its creation, impact on society, and harm done to the environment. Passionate debates about our readings and films fueled our discussions. Our computer science professor also gave us activities where we were able to focus more on the computer part of AI and learn about the machine’s learning process.
We were fortunate to have guest speakers bring real-world perspectives to the classroom throughout the semester. Memorably, we had one guest speaker who worked at Google, so he had a unique viewpoint on the more technology-based side. On the flip side, we had people who explored AI’s harmful societal and environmental impact.
Overall, my experience with this class enriched and expanded my curiosity about AI. The courses I have taken at Swarthmore, including Ethics and Technology, have expanded my knowledge and appreciation of the interdisciplinary approach by creating supportive, passionate, and engaging classroom environments.
