View special topics and new courses for other Information School programs:

• MLIS: LIS courses
• MSIM: IMT courses
• Ph.D.: INSC courses

Autumn 2025

INFO 198 A: Exploring Informatics: AI Fundamentals

• Instructor: Ben Lee
• 4 credits; standard grading

This course will introduce the fundamentals of AI. Throughout the quarter, we will cover basics ranging from definitions to the central components of modern AI systems: models, data, tasks, and applications. Through course lectures, activities, assignments, and conversations with expert AI researchers and practitioners across a range of application areas, students will also develop exposure to not only large language models, foundation models, and emerging AI methods but also other facets of AI: AI policy, responsible AI, ML operations, and interdisciplinary approaches. By the end of the course, students should be able to actively participate in discussions surrounding AI.

This course is open to all undergraduates with an interest in learning more about AI and a willingness to explore an interdisciplinary approach. No coding background is necessary, and there are no expectations of prior knowledge of AI.

INFO 415 A: Emerging Topics in Information Assurance and Cybersecurity - Cyber Resilience 

• Instructor: Lindah Kotut
• 4 credits; standard grading
• Writing Credit

This course is geared toward covering topics in cybersecurity that are not otherwise included in the information assurance and cybersecurity (IAC) curriculum. The course will center around the theme of Cyber Resilience and the study of risk assessment tools and technologies that are typically used to support Red and Blue teams alongside associated policy guidelines. Students will analyze the influence of ransomware, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies on the cybersecurity landscape. Discussions will encompass the case study examination of the resulting implications on people (individual users, groups, and countries), devices (from the internet of things to critical infrastructure), and domains (from healthcare to automotive security).

INFO 492 B: Intensive Capstone - Agentic Cybersecurity with AI and Large Language Models

• Instructor: Frank Martinez
• 8 credits; standard grading 

Students will research AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) to generate defensive and offensive cybersecurity attack patterns for finance, healthcare, manufacturing, and energy industries. Students will design and deploy AI Agents to facilitate each industry's attack vectors from the defensive or offensive perspective. Students will engage with stakeholders in each industry to inform their attack strategies. Recommended preparation: familiarity and experience building with popular AI platforms and frontier LLMs from OpenAI, Anthropic, Hugging Face, or Ollama; comfortable working in LLM based code editors such as Cursor or Windsurf.

INFO 494 A: Research Studio - Experiments and Analysis of Social Media Algorithms

• Instructor: Martin Saveski
• 2 credits; credit/no-credit
• Prerequisites: fundamental programming and data analysis skills and experience; INFO 201 or equivalent

This research studio will provide a space for undergraduate and graduate students to collaborate on experiments and analyses related to social media algorithms, such as feed ranking, friend recommendations, and content moderation. These algorithms are core components of social media platforms, influencing what we see, what we believe, and how we act. The goal of the studio is to introduce students to key tools for experimenting with and analyzing social media algorithms while engaging in well-defined research activities. As a studio course, there will be no lectures, only group-based collaboration. To make the most of this course, students should have prior experience in programming and data analysis.

INFO 494 B: Research Studio - Justice-Centered Programming Languages

• Instructor: Amy J. Ko
• 2 credits; credit/no credit grading

This recurring, quarterly research studio will engage you as a volunteer open source contributor that helps design, build, and maintain Wordplay, creative coding research platform for creating accessible, interactive typographic media. Our research goals are to create a global platform for creative expression with language that celebrates every individual's culture, identity, and values, while also enabling youth to learn about the power and limits of data and algorithms. Your contributions can include designing and redesigning the language and platform, implementing new user interface features, improving correctness and reliability of current features, localizing to one or more of the world's languages, writing automated tests, creating Wordplay examples, verifying accessibility, and teaching your peers. As a studio course, there will be no lectures, only community-based making, collaboration, coordination, and communication. Can be taken multiple times, and volunteer work can continue beyond the quarter.

INFO 498 B: Data, AI, and the Public Sector

• Instructor: Sasha Anderson
• 4 credits; standard grading 

The class will cover a survey of topics related to public sector data and AI systems policy, management, and use, combining theoretical concepts with practical skills development. In addition, this class will use the lens of information ethics and deconstructing power systems to interrogate responsible public sector technology. Students can expect to leave class being able to explain federal/state data and AI policy, critique federal/state data and AI systems, use government data tools to perform common assessments necessary for public projects, and communicate a nuanced perspective on using technology for the public good.

INFO 498 C: Game Design for Social Good 

• Instructor: Andy Cargile
• 5 credits; standard grading 

The course will start with several weeks of game design basics, including mechanics, dynamics, “fun”, visual and UX design for games, narrative, user research for games, and an overview of game genres. We’ll then cover various aspects of games for social good, including game-based learning, social awareness games, social action games, and social engagement games in a variety of categories. We will also cover topics such as toxicity in multiplayer games, representation, and more. Assignments will focus on team creation more than theory and we will have a final team project where you create a game demo or prototype. 

INFO 498 D: Entrepreneurship Fundamentals for Devs, Designers, and PMs

• Instructor: Jeremy Zaretzky
• 4 credits; Standard grading

Designed for Informatics majors who are interested in startups and entrepreneurship, this course will cover how new companies are founded, managed, funded, and grown. Through readings, guest speakers, activities, and case studies, students will learn what life is like as a startup founder and how to navigate the inevitable challenges that arise, as well as the mechanics of raising money for a startup through both equity and non-dilutive funding options. While the course material is applicable to many different types of startups, there will be a particular emphasis on social impact startups, SaaS companies, and online marketplaces. Developers, designers, and product managers who are thinking about launching a startup at some point in their career, as well as those interested in joining an early-stage startup after graduation, are encouraged to enroll in the course.

INFO 498 F: No-Code Tools in a Changing Tech Landscape

• Instructor: Elizabeth Geri
• 4 credits; Standard grading

Software development is no longer just for engineers. No-code tools have transformed how people build and automate solutions, making technology more accessible and adaptable. This course explores the no-code ecosystem with a focus on data, UI, and workflows, equipping students with frameworks to evaluate and integrate tools as they evolve. Students will develop a rigorous approach to assessing no-code solutions, distinguishing hype from function, and considering security, ethics, and long-term sustainability in their decision-making. To support hands-on projects, we’ll take a deeper dive into a handful of tools, giving students practical experience while reinforcing critical analysis. Through real-world application and thoughtful analysis, this course prepares students to engage with no-code as an evolving part of the tech landscape—understanding not just how to use these tools, but when and why to apply them.

Summer 2025

INFO 198 A: Exploring Informatics: AI Fundamentals

• Instructor: Ben Lee
• 4 credits; standard grading 

This course will introduce the fundamentals of AI. Throughout the quarter, we will cover basics ranging from definitions to the central components of modern AI systems: models, data, tasks, and applications. Through course lectures, activities, assignments, and conversations with expert AI researchers and practitioners across a range of application areas, students will also develop exposure to not only large language models, foundation models, and emerging AI methods but also other facets of AI: AI policy, responsible AI, ML operations, and interdisciplinary approaches. By the end of the course, students should be able to actively participate in discussions surrounding AI.

This course is open to all undergraduates with an interest in learning more about AI and a willingness to explore an interdisciplinary approach. No coding background is necessary, and there are no expectations of prior knowledge of AI.

INFO 498 A: Entrepreneurship Fundamentals for Devs, Designers, and PMs

• Instructor: Jeremy Zaretzky
• 4 credits; Standard grading

Designed for Informatics majors who are interested in startups and entrepreneurship, this course will cover how new companies are founded, managed, funded, and grown. Through readings, guest speakers, activities, and case studies, students will learn what life is like as a startup founder and how to navigate the inevitable challenges that arise, as well as the mechanics of raising money for a startup through both equity and non-dilutive funding options. While the course material is applicable to many different types of startups, there will be a particular emphasis on social impact startups, SaaS companies, and online marketplaces. Developers, designers, and product managers who are thinking about launching a startup at some point in their career, as well as those interested in joining an early-stage startup after graduation, are encouraged to enroll in the course.

INFO 498 B: Designing for an Aging World

• Instructor: William Jones
• 3 credits; Standard grading

This course addresses the challenges and opportunities arising from the global increase in the population aged 65 or older. As the traditional age pyramid flattens, research on successful aging brings greater focus to the process of aging (faced by all adults) vs. the state of being "old." Key findings include the gradual decline in measures of fluid intelligence such as working memory capacity starting at age 20, while crystalized intelligence improves throughout adulthood. Innovations in user interface, search technologies, and generative AI, along with virtual and extended reality training, promise to offset age-related declines and enhance cognitive resilience. The course considers relevant tools, training, techniques, and technologies and the career opportunities these create. Students will engage in hands-on activities, including team projects and individual presentations, to design comprehensive solutions for thriving in time, culminating in presentations judged by a panel of experts.

Spring 2025

INFO 492 A: Intensive Capstone - Data Science & Analytics

• Instructor: Tanu Mitra
• 8 credits; standard grading
• Prerequisites: INFO 300 and INFO 360

Team-based capstone data projects will work on real-world challenges that surface on online social platforms and the data and algorithms powering these online platforms. Hence, the focus will be on data generated on online platforms, such as, Facebook, X, Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, Spotify, news platforms and the corresponding real-world trust and safety challenges that emerge on these platforms (examples include, misinformation, hate speech, toxicity, polarization, radicalization, bias, social inequalities, etc.) and how those could be exacerbated with the modern advances of AI, such as large language models. The first few weeks of this course will comprise multiple readings, in-class discussions, and in-class practicum sessions to introduce you to basic concepts of analyzing data left behind in social media platforms and the risks posed by modern-day AI capabilities . During this time, students will have the opportunity to read technical papers, write their reflections where they will not just summarize the paper but think about what additional questions the paper enables. This is their chance to come up with a cool project idea based on what they just read. I will also provide students with a list of high level topics and suggestions. Students will blog about their ideas, which will ultimately lead to team pitches and project proposals. We will also have mid-term check points for their final projects and multiple practicum sessions and weekly milestone checks during the course of the quarter.

INFO 492 C: Intensive Capstone - No/Low Code Technology Strategies and Solutions for Non-profits

• Instructor: Elizabeth Geri
• 8 credits; Standard grading

Nonprofits and small businesses frequently face constraints in budget and technical expertise, limiting their ability to implement and manage sophisticated technology solutions. These solutions could significantly enhance engagement with their beneficiaries, efficiently handle constituent management, and automate repetitive tasks.

This intensive capstone will work with a nonprofit client to delivery technology solutions to improve operations.  Working in teams, we will identify high-value workflows that can be automated and utilize no/low-code solutions for designing, developing, and testing these workflows. We will deploy these solutions and transition their management to nonprofits, unburdening them from menial tasks and freeing up resources to focus on their missions and impact.  The client will likely most likely involve building a grant management tool or management of the distribution of goods and services.

This class will be joined by iSchool faculty member Nam-ho Park as an advisor and uses the same basic model as his INFO 492 course Winter 2025.

INFO 494 A: Research Studio - Justice-Centered Programming Languages

• Instructor: Amy J. Ko
• 2 credits; credit/no credit grading

This recurring, quarterly research studio will engage you as a volunteer open source contributor that helps design, build, and maintain Wordplay, creative coding research platform for creating accessible, interactive typographic media. Our research goals are to create a global platform for creative expression with language that celebrates every individual's culture, identity, and values, while also enabling youth to learn about the power and limits of data and algorithms. Your contributions can include designing and redesigning the language and platform, implementing new user interface features, improving correctness and reliability of current features, localizing to one or more of the world's languages, writing automated tests, creating Wordplay examples, verifying accessibility, and teaching your peers. As a studio course, there will be no lectures, only community-based making, collaboration, coordination, and communication. Can be taken multiple times, and volunteer work can continue beyond the quarter.

INFO 498 A: Child-Computer Interaction (CCI)

• Instructor: Rotem Landesman
• 4 credits; standard grading

An introductory look at the field, this course focuses on research related to the design of interactive technologies for and with children; the various ways children use interactive technologies; and the impact of children’s technology-related experiences on their health, wellbeing, learning, and other key aspects of child development. Questions guiding the course include: How do children of different ages, abilities, and interests engage with and make sense of their experiences with interactive technologies? What role do developmental factors, family context, peers, school, and socio-cultural influences play in shaping these experiences? How should designers approach the design of interactive technologies for children? How should researchers approach the study of children’s use of new and emerging technologies?

INFO 498 B: UX Design of Games

• Instructor: Andy Cargile
• 5 credits; standard grading

This course focuses on UX for games in depth. The first part of the course contains deep dives into various aspects of UX design in general: UX design, UI design, Visual design, and Game design. Then, the course will focus on the practice of creating components of the game user experience including maps, inventory, onboarding, sound design, and more. We will end will topics on accessibility, mobile, and console UX design. 

Students will work individually and in small teams of two on assignments. Assignments will include mood boards, wireframes, prototypes and several UX makeovers of existing games. Unlike Game Design for Social Good, there will be no large team project and no focus on social good specifically.

INFO 498 C: Age of Autonomy

• Instructor: Elias Greendorfer
• 5 credits; standard grading

This course examines the relationship between technology and autonomy across personal, communal, and political contexts, focusing particularly on the ways technologies mediate our sense of self, agency, and ways of being in the world. From artifacts that mark major life events to digital systems that structure organizational and social processes, technology is not passive but rather an active force in shaping who we are and how we navigate change. A QR code embedded in a wedding ceremony, a smartphone gifted to a young person as a gesture of trust, or an online portal facilitating legal processes each function as more than digital tools. Through the lens of design, students will critically and creatively explore how technologies at times enable and promote systems of power, while at other times they stand in opposition of them. In exploring these ideas, students in this course will engage with related literature in HCI, participate in discussions and debates, and undertake hands-on projects that interrogate and reimagine the tools and technologies that shape contemporary society, while also developing equitable and sustainable designs for its future.

INFO 498 D: Inventing the Internet(s)

• Instructor: Richard Lewei Huang
• 4 credits; standard grading

How did the Internet come to be? Covering the period from the 1960s to today, this course investigates the social, cultural, political, and technological forces that together created and shaped the internet(s) as we know today. Topics covered will include technological determinism, military and countercultural origins of the Internet, rise of personal computing, alternative forms of online sociality, commercialization of the web, Web 2.0 and the platform economy, and geopolitical tensions that may shape the future of the Internet. In addition to readings and lectures, students will be able to get hands-on experience in tinkering with historical computer networking artifacts through remote connections and the use of virtual machines. Students will learn to critically analyze narratives of internet histories in popular discourse, appreciate the diversity of internet cultures and experiences around the globe, and gain practical skills in system administration and digital heritage preservation in hands-on retro networking workshops.

INFO 498 E: AI, Empathy, and Human Connection

• Instructor: Jamie Prins
• 4 credits; standard grading

Have you ever found yourself talking to your devices? Whether it's an AI model with conversational capabilities like ChatGPT, or an AI assistant like Apple's Siri, we often find ourselves forming unexpected connections with machines. This course delves into the AI personification, exploring how we attribute human-like qualities to technology. We'll examine the psychological underpinnings of this phenomenon, its potential benefits, and the societal impact, while critically analyzing the ethical risks associated with the humanization of AI. Through discussions, readings, and assignments, you'll gain a deeper understanding of AI personification and learn the importance of design practices that prioritize human connection and well-being in an increasingly AI-powered world.

Winter 2025

INFO 415 A: Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT)

• Instructor: Lindah Kotut
• 4 credits; Standard grading
• Writing credit

This course is geared at covering topics in cybersecurity that are not otherwise covered in the IAC curriculum. The course will center around the theme of Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) in the context of cybersecurity. Topics discussed in the class will include tools and technologies used to effect OSINT, privacy enhancing technologies (PETS), threat actors, and operational security (OPSEC). We will also discuss how emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence/ChatGPT etc., impact the offensive and defensive postures in Red and Blue teams.

INFO 492 A: Intensive Capstone - No/Low Code Technology Strategies and Solutions for Non-profits

• Instructor: Nam-ho Park
• 8 credits; Standard grading

Nonprofits frequently face constraints in budget and technical expertise, limiting their ability to implement and manage sophisticated technology solutions. These solutions could significantly enhance engagement with their beneficiaries, efficiently handle constituent management, and automate repetitive tasks. The class aims to identify high-value workflows that can be automated and utilize no/low-code solutions for designing, developing, and testing these workflows. Our goal is to deploy these solutions and transition their management to nonprofits, unburdening them from menial tasks and freeing up resources to focus on their missions and impact.

INFO 492 C: Intensive Capstone - Scaling Rural Healthcare with AI and Large Language Models 

• Instructor: Frank Martinez
• 8 credits; Standard grading

Students will research how AI and Large Language Models (LLMs) might be used to expand capacity for rural healthcare providers. Students will engage with different healthcare stakeholders throughout Washington state to inform their LLM research findings. They will also design and prototype LLM-based healthcare tools to inform their research experiments. Students should be familiar with and have experience building within popular LLM platforms, such as Hugging Face, Ollama, Cursor, Replit.

INFO 494 A: Research Studio - Justice-Centered Programming Languages

• Instructor: Amy J. Ko
• 2 credits; credit/no credit grading

This recurring, quarterly research studio will engage you as a volunteer open source contributor that helps design, build, and maintain Wordplay, creative coding research platform for creating accessible, interactive typographic media. Our research goals are to create a global platform for creative expression with language that celebrates every individual's culture, identity, and values, while also enabling youth to learn about the power and limits of data and algorithms. Your contributions can include designing and redesigning the language and platform, implementing new user interface features, improving correctness and reliability of current features, localizing to one or more of the world's languages, writing automated tests, creating Wordplay examples, verifying accessibility, and teaching your peers. As a studio course, there will be no lectures, only community-based making, collaboration, coordination, and communication. Can be taken multiple times, and volunteer work can continue beyond the quarter.

INFO 498 A: AI, Robots, and Transcending Religion

• Instructor: Wes Eli King
• 4 credits; standard grading
• Online asynchronous

Can a Robot Be Divine? Will humans merge with technologies that enable them to transcend current reality? This course will engage with these questions and others as we survey philosophical concepts, ethical principles, and popular culture connecting AI and religion.

This course aims to:

• Introduce students to theories about the influence of religion on technological innovation.
• Explore development of religious robots.
• Develop students’ critical and analytical skills for examining ethical debates about AI.

By the end of the course, successful students will be able to:

• Recognize key religious concepts and theories of technology.
• Describe ways religions use robots and imagine technological futures.
• Engage with religious worldviews and ethical principles that influence the development, content, form, and use of AI.

INFO 498 C: Text Reuse, AI, & the Art of Stealing

• Instructor: Anna Preus and Melanie Walsh
• 5 credits; Standard grading
• Offered jointly with English (ENGL 413 A) and Textual Studies (TXTDS 403 A)

Examines artificial intelligence technologies in the context of literary and cultural histories of text reuse. Explores concepts including intellectual property, authorship, parody, and adaptation, drawing on approaches from literary studies and data science. Considers impacts of data and computation on textual production and analysis.

INFO 498 D: Fundamentals of Game Design for Social Good

• Instructor: Andy Cargile
• 5 credits; standard grading

The course will start with several weeks of game design basics, including mechanics, dynamics, “fun”, visual and UX design for games, narrative, user research for games, and an overview of game genres. We’ll then cover various aspects of games for social good, including game-based learning, social awareness games, social action games, and social engagement games in a variety of categories. We will also cover topics such as toxicity in multiplayer games, representation, and more. Assignments will focus on team creation more than theory and we will have a final team project where you create a game prototype.

INFO 498 E: Infomocracy: Sci-Fi, Democracy, and Information Systems

• Instructor: Katherine Alejandra Cross
• 4 credits; standard grading

Science fiction, famously, gives us a glimpse of where technology may be going. But, at its best, it can also show us where society, as a whole, is headed. What technologies underlie democracy, and what does sci-fi have to say about where all that might be headed? And what does science fiction's commentary on information technology suggest about our own time? We'll read Malka Older's novel Infomocracy and several short stories by some of the biggest names in contemporary sci-fi for answers (and to ask interesting questions). We'll also look at some nonfiction readings to contextualise it all. From cyberpunk, to spaceships and lasers, to robots and aliens, we'll dive into it all to think critically about the interplay between tech and democracy, with an eye towards seeing how information systems and democratic systems have a lot more overlap than you might expect.

INFO 498 F: Understanding and Navigating Cognitive and Behavioral Change in the AI Era

• Instructor: Chris Fu
• 4 credits; standard grading

Humans have been using tools that significantly shape our cognition and behavior. With AI's swift evolution, our working and thinking processes have been profoundly altered and enhanced in recent years. The influence of AI on our cognition and behavior remains an active area of research with diverse beliefs, theoretical frameworks, and empirical findings. This course encourages deep reflection on how AI tools might alter us in the coming decades and how we should adapt to these changes. Moreover, students will gain personal experience with these tools, observing firsthand the transformations they undergo throughout the course. To capture these shifts, the course will employ self-observation, evaluative surveys, and reflective exercises along with traditional reading reflections and class projects as learning tasks.