How a New English Course Brings Artificial Intelligence into the Humanities Classroom

Graduate students at St. Mary’s University study AI through literature and ethics, exploring its cultural role beyond sci-fi fears. They use AI tools creatively while discussing themes like identity and consciousness.

Categorized in: AI News General Education
Published on: Jun 28, 2025
How a New English Course Brings Artificial Intelligence into the Humanities Classroom

Novel English Class Explores AI and the Digital Humanities

Arts and Humanities
June 27, 2025

Graduate students at St. Mary’s University are engaging with artificial intelligence (AI) not as a threat, but as a subject of cultural and ethical study. Their new English course examines how AI is used and influenced by the digital humanities, moving beyond the familiar sci-fi portrayals that often cast AI as a menace.

Associate Professor Benjamin “Josh” Doty, Ph.D., who leads the course Introduction to the Digital Humanities Special Focus: AI and Culture, highlights the connection between AI and literature. “Most interactions with generative AI are textual, so skills in reading and writing are essential to working with AI effectively,” he explains.

During the Spring 2025 semester, students analyzed cultural narratives about AI, focusing on themes like consciousness, identity, and human-machine relationships. The course combined ethical discussions with explorations of storytelling and cultural production, reflecting on how AI advancements influence society. Doty points to the film Her as an example, raising the question of whether art imitates life or life imitates art when it comes to AI’s development.

A Graduate Student’s Perspective on the Course

One graduate student shared their experience of the class, emphasizing how it challenged common fears and misconceptions about AI. Over eight weeks, they explored AI tools firsthand, using them for creative and analytical tasks.

  • Some students asked ChatGPT to write poems mimicking Emily Dickinson.
  • Others used AI art programs to recreate family images.
  • Many tested AI by posing questions and evaluating the responses.

This hands-on approach helped students understand how AI tools operate and where they source their information. The discoveries aligned with existing ideas about AI’s potential and limitations.

Alongside practical work, the class read science fiction and essays related to AI, including Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun, and Ted Chiang’s The Lifecycle of Software Objects. These readings invited students to consider how AI might evolve and coexist with humans in the future, while raising questions about ethics and cultural impact.

For example, Klara and the Sun offers an AI’s perspective that blurs the line between programming and genuine experience, prompting reflection on what makes us human. The themes addressed in these works prepare students to face the ethical challenges AI will bring.

The student concluded that the course provided valuable insights and practical skills for dealing with AI’s growing presence in everyday life. They felt more confident about using AI tools thoughtfully and understanding their broader effects on society.

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