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80630-01 - Seminar: Artifical Intelligence and Border Control (3 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Once only |
| Lecturers |
Daniel Kunzelmann (daniel.kunzelmann@unibas.ch, Assessor)
Remo Reginold (remo.reginold@unibas.ch) |
| Content | Artificial intelligence is increasingly transforming how borders are governed, monitored and experienced. From biometric identification systems and predictive risk assessments to digital identity infrastructures and automated decision-making, AI technologies are reshaping the ways in which mobility, security and belonging are managed across the globe. This block seminar examines the growing role of AI in contemporary border governance through a combination of field-based inquiry, case study analysis and collaborative research. Rather than treating borders solely as fixed territorial lines, the course explores how AI contributes to the emergence of distributed and data-driven border regimes that operate across infrastructures, institutions and everyday practices. Students investigate selected empirical cases from different regional and political contexts and analyse how technological innovation intersects with questions of power, security, mobility, rights and governance. Particular attention is given to the ways in which AI systems are embedded within broader socio-political, economic and geopolitical transformations. Key themes include: • AI and the digital transformation of border governance • Biometric technologies and automated identification systems • Data infrastructures, interoperability and information sharing • Risk assessment, profiling and predictive analytics • Ethics, accountability and human rights implications • Geopolitical dimensions of emerging border technologies • Everyday experiences of mobility, surveillance and control A central element of the seminar is a field-based research component in the Basel border region. Students conduct observations and collect empirical material at selected border sites before connecting their findings to international case studies. Through comparative analysis, participants explore how technological systems reshape the spatial, social and political dimensions of borders. The seminar follows a research-oriented and collaborative learning approach. Working in interdisciplinary groups, students develop case studies, present their findings and engage in critical discussions on the opportunities, limitations and societal implications of AI-driven border control. • September 16 (Wed), 2:00–4:00 p.m. (first regular session) • October 14, 2:00–4:00 p.m. (second regular session) Two intensive sessions are scheduled for the end of the semester: on December 11 and 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each day |
| Learning objectives | The seminar is organised as an intensive block course with three elements: introductory sessions, a self-directed empirical research phase, and a concluding unit comprising two block days. It builds on a reciprocal peer-teaching format in heterogeneous groups: students who participated in the first seminar take on a peer-tutor role and bring in existing case studies, while new participants are integrated into mixed research groups and assume clearly defined tasks within a shared research framework. In this way, differing levels of prior knowledge become a productive resource for research-based learning. The course is open to students from different disciplinary backgrounds and does not require prior participation in the first seminar. This seminar is supported by the Swiss Institute for Global Affairs (SIGA): www.globalaffairs.ch |
| Comments |
| Course application | belegen; abmelden |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| Block | See individual dates | ||
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 16.09.2026 | 14.00-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Wednesday 14.10.2026 | 14.00-16.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Friday 11.12.2026 | 10.00-18.00 | - Siehe Bemerkung, -- |
| Saturday 12.12.2026 | 10.00-18.00 | Alte Universität, Seminarraum 207 |
| Modules |
Modul: Digital Humanities, Culture and Society (Master's degree subject: Digital Humanities) Modul: Methoden und Felder der Kulturanthropologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Research Lab Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theorien der Kulturanthropologie (Bachelor's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Modul: Theorien und Methodologien der Kulturanthropologie (Master's degree subject: Cultural Anthropology) Module: Bodies, Objects, Circulation (Master's degree program: Changing Societies) Module: Conflicts and Peacebuilding (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Fields: Governance and Politics (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Fields: Knowledge Production and Transfer (Master's degree program: African Studies) Module: Migration, Mobility and Transnationalism (Master's degree program: Changing Societies: Migration – Conflicts – Resources (Start of studies before 01.08.2026)) Module: Sustainable Societies: Inequality, Power, Conflict (Master's degree program: Changing Societies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Work, Migration and Society (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) Specialization Module Global Europe: Statehood, Development and Globalization (Master's Studies: European Global Studies) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Lehrveranstaltungsbegleitend |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | no repetition |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Departement Gesellschaftswissenschaften |