Comparative World Literature (CWL) is an interdisciplinary programs, drawing from two or more traditional disciplines. Fundamental to the concentration is coursework in both English and Modern Languages & Literatures.
New Special Topics Course on Technology and Humanity
CWL 191 Programming Humanity: Elkins and Chun MWF 9:10-10 AM
Artificial Intelligence may soon surpass humans in intellectual abilities that we often associate with being “human” like writing and artistic composition. What are the implications for how we think about “digital” humanities? Can we program humanity by employing AI to generate music, analyze vast quantities of literary text, and produce great visual works of art? Or will humans be programmed through predictive policing, manipulations of social media, and domestic surveillance? Can the non-profit OpenAI build an AI to benefit humanity, or will the prophecies of Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk—who all claim AI as the greatest existential threat to humanity—come true?
This course will bridge the gap between humanities and technology in both a theoretical and a practical manner. Each week we’ll learn about a fundamental technology like data visualization, social media hacking, or machine learning through both lecture and hands-on virtual labs. In parallel, we’ll contextualize our understanding of new technologies with seminar discussions debating their larger social impact.
The broader goal is to understand technologies driving seismic social change to be able to speak with an informed voice. This is an introductory course with no prerequisites. It’s designed for both humanities students seeking to understand technology and science students seeking to understand the larger social and ethical issues surrounding technology.
By the end of this course, you will:
- Have a familiarity with fundamental technologies in digital humanities
- Have the opportunity to develop well-reasoned positions on many of the key debates surrounding major technological change
Find out more about the concentration requirements.
View a list of CWL courses.