Autumn semester 2026 (HS 2026)
University of Basel · Graduate Center (GRACE), Transferable Skills
Wednesday, 4 November 2026, 09:00–17:00. Universitätsbibliothek Basel, GRACE room 306, 3rd floor.
This page is the single reference for participants of the HS 2026 edition. For registration, credits, and the binding course rules, go to the official course listing of the University of Basel.
Practical information
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Status | Confirmed |
| Date | Wednesday, 4 November 2026 |
| Time | 09:00–17:00 |
| Venue | Universitätsbibliothek Basel, GRACE room 306, 3rd floor |
| Address | Schönbeinstrasse 18–20, 4056 Basel (directions to the building) |
| Instructors | Laura Wagner and Moritz Mähr |
| Organizer | Graduate Center (GRACE), University of Basel, Transferable Skills |
| Course administration | grace@unibas.ch |
| Audience | University of Basel doctoral candidates and postdocs |
| Capacity | 6–16 participants |
| Fee | Free of charge for eligible participants |
| Credits | 1 ECTS. It may count towards the AI-Skills Focus Area, Module 3 (8 hours). |
| Workload | 30 hours in total: 8 h preparation, 8 h attendance, 14 h follow-up |
| Registration | Closed; opened 5 August 2026, 09:00; closed 7 October 2026, 12:00 |
| Official listing | University of Basel course page |
| Detailed program | Approved |
| Assignment deadline | To be confirmed |
Getting there
The course takes place at Universitätsbibliothek Basel, GRACE room 306, 3rd floor, Schönbeinstrasse 18–20, 4056 Basel. Use the directions to the building.
Attendance and registration
- Full attendance is mandatory.
- Registration: Closed; opened 5 August 2026, 09:00; closed 7 October 2026, 12:00. This site takes no registrations.
- A late withdrawal after the registration deadline, or an unannounced absence, incurs a fee of CHF 30 under the published course regulations.
- Further consequences for later registrations follow the regulations of the Transferable Skills program. This site does not repeat them.
Write to the course administration about registration, attendance, or a withdrawal. Do not use GitHub for these questions.
Prepare for the course day
- Read the required text: Bender et al., On the Dangers of Stochastic Parrots (2021).
- Write a short description of one actual or planned use of generative AI in your research. Say why you might use it and what you do not know about it.
- Bring a laptop.
Further reading is optional. The literature page lists readings and cases for each lens.
The assignments page gives a plan for the eight hours of preparation.
Do not bring confidential or personal research data to the exercises. No exercise needs a commercial AI account.
Schedule for the course day
Detailed program: Approved.
| Time | Block |
|---|---|
| 09:00–09:20 | Welcome, objectives, research-use examples |
| 09:20–09:55 | Lens 1: Scale and environment |
| 09:55–10:30 | Lens 2: Representation and Pygmalion |
| 10:30–11:00 | Break |
| 11:00–11:35 | Lens 3: Lifecycle and labor |
| 11:35–12:10 | Lens 4: Political economy |
| 12:10–12:20 | Integrate the four lenses; agree on the Panarchy challenge |
| 12:20–13:20 | Lunch |
| 13:20–14:25 | Panarchy, steps 1 to 7 |
| 14:25–14:55 | Break |
| 14:55–15:50 | Panarchy, steps 9 to 13 |
| 15:50–16:20 | Ecocycle: 30-minute adaptation |
| 16:20–16:40 | Individual research-use clinic |
| 16:40–16:50 | Next actions and instructions for the follow-up task |
| 16:50–17:00 | Course evaluation and closing |
Credits
- Credits: 1 ECTS. It may count towards the AI-Skills Focus Area, Module 3 (8 hours).
- Workload: 30 hours in total: 8 h preparation, 8 h attendance, 14 h follow-up.
- The credit depends on full attendance and on the completion of the applicable tasks.
- The Graduate Center (GRACE) confirms the credit. It normally becomes visible around the end of January 2027, not directly after the submission.
Follow-up task
The follow-up task is a Responsible GenAI Use Statement. The assignments page describes it. Before you submit, discuss your draft with at least one peer who knows your field.
Submit the statement in one of two ways:
- by email to the course administration (GRACE): grace@unibas.ch.
- through the Use Statement form on GitHub. A GitHub issue is public. For the credit, email the link of your issue to the course administration.
Publication on this site is opt-in. The instructors publish a statement only when its author agrees.
Deadline for the follow-up task: To be confirmed.
Course evaluation
The last ten minutes of the course day are for the course evaluation. Use this link on the course day: Course evaluation for Autumn semester 2026.
Contact
- Registration, attendance, and credits: course administration (GRACE).
- Errors on this site: GitHub Issues. Do not post personal data.