Social AI Through the Looking Glass
Source: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/study/social-ai-through-the-looking-glass-SASH92 Parent: https://www.lunduniversity.lu.se/about-university/university-glance/mission-vision-and-values/sustainability/sustainability-education-lund-university
Course • Bachelor's level • 7.5 credits
How does AI affect our society – and how do we affect AI? If AI systems become more empathetic and more intelligent than us, will we prefer social robots over human partners? This course offers an introduction to social robots and how we as humans interact with them.
Start
Autumn 2026
Level
Bachelor's
Language
English
Place of study
Lund
Course code
SASH92
- Overview
Overview
The course provides you with tools to understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping the boundaries between technology, culture, ethics, and social structures. You will explore the difference between interacting with another human and with a robot, and how technology may influence our relationships, our thinking, and our society – both now and in the future. Combining philosophy, psychology, and technology, the course gives you an overview of theories of human social cognition and how these theories are applied to understand human–robot interaction. You will also gain insight into how social robots are designed, how they learn and adapt, and the ethical questions that arise as robots become part of our lives. Throughout the course, you will discuss and attempt to answer the question: why, and in what contexts, do we humans need social robots as partners?
Course syllabus
The syllabus contains the formal and legal details of the entire course. It’s a legal document outlining the course structure and requirements, intended mainly for administrative use.
Course literature
The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.
Course literature SASH92 (PDF, New tab)
- Dates
- Requirements and selection
- Tuition fees
Dates
Autumn Semester 2026
Apply via Antagning.se (in Swedish) by 15 April.
Lund - Part time 67%
Start
21 October 2026
21 Oct 2026
End
11 December 2026
11 Dec 2026
Form
Normal learning
Pace
Part time
Language
English
City
Lund
Requirements and selection
Prerequisites
General requirements for university studies in Sweden
Selection criteria
Seats are allocated according to the following: The general average (GPA) of your higher secondary school leaving certificate: 34 %, The Swedish national university aptitude test: 34 %, number of previous ECTS at application deadline (up to 165): 32 %. If students have equal credentials, seats are allocated based on their results on The Swedish National University Aptitude Test. If this too is equal, seats are allocated based on a draw.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of countries outside:
- The European Union (EU)
- The European Economic Area (EEA) and
- Switzerland
are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each \ semester.
Tuition fees, payments and exemptions
Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 15,625 \ First payment: SEK 15,625
Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.
No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland
There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
Overview
The course provides you with tools to understand how artificial intelligence is reshaping the boundaries between technology, culture, ethics, and social structures. You will explore the difference between interacting with another human and with a robot, and how technology may influence our relationships, our thinking, and our society – both now and in the future. Combining philosophy, psychology, and technology, the course gives you an overview of theories of human social cognition and how these theories are applied to understand human–robot interaction. You will also gain insight into how social robots are designed, how they learn and adapt, and the ethical questions that arise as robots become part of our lives. Throughout the course, you will discuss and attempt to answer the question: why, and in what contexts, do we humans need social robots as partners?
Course literature
The course literature listed may be updated up to eight weeks before the course begins.
Course literature SASH92 (PDF, New tab)
Dates
Autumn Semester 2026
Apply via Antagning.se (in Swedish) by 15 April.
Lund - Part time 67%
Start
21 October 2026
21 Oct 2026
End
11 December 2026
11 Dec 2026
Form
Normal learning
Pace
Part time
Language
English
City
Lund
Requirements and selection
Prerequisites
General requirements for university studies in Sweden
Selection criteria
Seats are allocated according to the following: The general average (GPA) of your higher secondary school leaving certificate: 34 %, The Swedish national university aptitude test: 34 %, number of previous ECTS at application deadline (up to 165): 32 %. If students have equal credentials, seats are allocated based on their results on The Swedish National University Aptitude Test. If this too is equal, seats are allocated based on a draw.
Tuition fees
Tuition fees for non-EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of countries outside:
- The European Union (EU)
- The European Economic Area (EEA) and
- Switzerland
are required to pay tuition fees. You pay an instalment of the tuition fee in advance of each \ semester.
Tuition fees, payments and exemptions
Full programme/course tuition fee: SEK 15,625 \ First payment: SEK 15,625
Note that you may also need to pay an application fee, or provide proof of exemption.
No tuition fees for citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland
There are no tuition fees for citizens of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.