Certificate directors: Theodore Kim and Julian Posada

The Computing, Culture & Society certificate prepares students to understand the social, political, and historical implications of computing technology. There are a variety of world-class courses around the university that situate computing within these broader cultural contexts, but they are spread across a dozen departments. This certificate is a pedagogical roadmap to those courses, both for computer science (CS) and other majors who want to study the cultural and humanistic implications of computing.

Requirements

See Links to the attributes indicating courses approved for the certificate requirements.

Students must successfully complete five course credits. There is one required survey course, CPSC 2265/AMST 2265, Topics in Critical Computing. The remaining requirements are divided into four main categories of study: introduction to computing; social research, politics, law, and economics; history, digital media, and culture; and intersections in science, technology, and society (see below).

Requirements for Computer Science majors In addition to CPSC 2265/AMST 2265, students must take four additional courses with at least one course selected from each of categories 2-4. Courses in category 1 are for students without a computing background.

Requirements for non-Computer Science majors In addition to CPSC 2265/AMST 2265, students must take one course from each of categories 1-4. Beyond the certificate requirements, students may find it broadly helpful to take more than one Computer Science course.

1. Introduction to computing (Non-Computer Science majors only) (YC CSOC Introduction)

2. Social research, politics, law, and economics (YC CSOC Rsrch, Pltc, Law, Econ)

3. History, digital media, and culture (YC CSOC Hist, Media, Culture)

4. Broader intersections in science, technology, and society (YC CSOC Intersections)

Additionally, each student must attend three critical computing-related lectures or events and submit a brief write-up to the certificate director. Notice of these events can be found on the certificate website.

Graduate and professional school courses may count toward the certificate.

No more than two course credits fulfilling the requirements of the certificate may overlap with a major, a simultaneous degree, or another certificate. Additionally, no course credit may be applied toward the requirements of more than two curricular programs. For example, the same course credit may not be used to fulfill the requirements of two certificates and a major. All courses must be taken for a letter grade, and students must achieve a grade of C or above.

Credit/D/Fail No courses taken Credit/D/Fail may be applied toward the requirements of the certificate.

Outside credit Courses taken at another institution or during an approved summer or term-time study abroad program may count toward the certificate requirements only with prior certificate director approval. 

Declaration of Candidacy

Students must declare their intention to earn a Certificate on the Declare Major, Concentration within the Major, Certificate page on Yale Hub, as early as possible, but at the very latest, by the 15th of January or September in their last semester at Yale. Once declared, Degree Audit tracks students' progress toward completion of the certificate.

Summary of Requirements 

Number of courses 5 course credits 

Required course CPSC 2265/AMST 2265

Distribution of courses CS majors, 4 electives chosen from categories 2-4; Non-CS majors, 4 electives, one each from categories 1-4

Additional requirements attendance at 3 critical computing-related lectures or events and submission of a brief write-up for each

Substitutions CPSC 2265/AMST 2265 may be replaced with another certificate-eligible course at the discretion of the certificate director