POL-32450, Proseminar II, Universität Konstanz, winter semester 2026/27 Tuesdays, 11:45–13:15, Room G307
A small number of private labs are increasingly shaping not only how AI is developed, but also what we know about it, who benefits from it, and how it is governed. This seminar examines the concentration of power in AI development, its consequences for work, knowledge, and markets, and the challenges democracies face in governing a technology whose risks remain deeply uncertain.
| Date | Session | In class | To do before this session | Suggested workload (h) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Getting started | ||||
| Oct 20 | Introduction | Course overview Ground rules for using AI tools |
||
| Oct 27 | Paper exploration | 25 min reading abstracts Everyone presents one abstract in 3 min Everyone picks the paper they will present: it becomes your topic |
Look through the reading list and shortlist three papers you might present | 2 |
| Exploring topics | Each week: three topic presentations, an AI reflection, and one writing step shown on the model reading | |||
| Nov 3 | 1. AI and work | Read your paper in full; write one sentence on how you would extend it Read the model reading in full, and the abstract and introduction of the other two ILIAS: research-question unit |
13 | |
| Nov 10 | 2. Labs as producers of knowledge | Your exposé: introduction ending with your research question, plus a three-sentence conclusion Readings as above Find five papers related to yours |
13 | |
| Nov 17 | 3. Labs shaping rules and markets | Your exposé: the figure you hope to show (dummy figure), with a results paragraph Readings as above Read the related papers |
13 | |
| Nov 24 | 4. Governing risk with thin evidence | Your exposé: literature review paragraph and a figure or table that shows your gap Readings as above |
13 | |
| Dec 1 | 5. Democracy and power | Your exposé: hypothesis and design Readings as above Revise your introduction with what you have learned |
13 | |
| Developing your exposé | ||||
| Dec 8 | Short exposé: group feedback | Swap short-exposé drafts in groups Writing Centre: flash exposé |
Your exposé: simple model and DAG Put your sections together into a short-exposé draft ILIAS: peer-feedback unit |
15 |
| Dec 15 | Long exposé: introduction and literature gap | Present your introduction and a visual overview of your literature gap; the group gives feedback | Revise and submit your short exposé (about 2 pages plus bibliography, graded) Long exposé: introduction and literature gap |
15 |
| Dec 22 | Long exposé: theoretical model and DAG | Present your theoretical model and DAG; the group gives feedback | Long exposé: theoretical model and DAG | 15 |
| Dec 23 – Jan 6 | Break | No work | ||
| Jan 12 | Writing session | Follow-up on the writing reflection Writing Centre: writing session |
ILIAS: writing-reflection unit Long exposé: hypotheses and design |
12 |
| Jan 19 | Social media thread | Present your thread; the class gives feedback | Long exposé: full draft A social media thread covering all parts of your long exposé, on slides |
13 |
| Wrap-up | ||||
| Jan 26 | Final presentations I | Half of the class presents their long exposé (about 10 min, ungraded) | Revise and submit your long exposé (10–12 pages, graded) by Jan 25 | 10 |
| Feb 2 | Final presentations II | The other half presents |
Your exposé: a small extension of the paper you present. Each topic week, the model reading shows one writing step in class; at home, you write that step for your extension.
AI reflection: the presenter of the model reading shows how they used AI for that week’s writing task, what went wrong, and how to do it better.
Citation style: APA, as in the course template.
You will receive an invitation by email to the course’s Zotero group after the second session.
1. AI and work
2. Labs as producers of knowledge
3. Labs shaping rules and markets
4. Governing risk with thin evidence
5. Democracy and power