University Adds AI Literacy Course as Workplace Demand Grows
Point Loma Nazarene University's Communication Department launched a new course this semester focused on artificial intelligence, teaching students to use AI tools while developing ethical frameworks around the technology. COM4090: AI Communication, Literacy & Ethics, taught by James Wicks, a professor of media and film studies, was developed in response to AI's rapid growth and the humanities' need to engage with it.
The course differs from AI instruction elsewhere on campus. Business and computer science departments study AI through technical lenses. Wicks and his colleagues argue humanities programs bring centuries of ethics and communication expertise to the conversation.
"AI is being studied across numerous college campuses already in business and computer science departments, and I think humanities programs can offer a really interesting insight into AI usage due to our centuries-long tradition in ethics and communication studies," Wicks said.
What Students Are Learning
Throughout the semester, students read articles on AI development, heard from guest speakers across campus, and tested tools including NotebookLM, Google's Gemini, ChatGPT, and Wispr Flow. The course examines both benefits and harms-from productivity gains to privacy risks and deepfake technology.
Liam Sherrill, a fourth-year media communication major, entered the course aware of some ethical concerns. He left understanding dangers he hadn't considered. Despite learning these risks, he said the course gave him practical knowledge.
"I wouldn't say I'll be voluntarily using it for my own life, but I have gained a way better understanding of how other people are using it, and being able to talk about it in a more articulate way has been really beneficial," Sherrill said.
Wicks said he learns alongside students as they test new tools and discuss emerging issues. "I want to be a permanent novice," he said. "I want to always be curious, and learning, and adapting and trying out the newest tools."
Students See Workforce Implications
Sherrill emphasized the course's relevance to graduates entering the job market. "This is going to be directly affecting our jobs right out of college," he said. "We're going to be graduating [in] one month and we're going to need to know what AI is."
Both Sherrill and Jeffrie McGehee, a fourth-year philosophy major, argued the course should be mandatory across the communication program, if not the entire university. McGehee said higher education broadly should prioritize current developments over historical context.
"[In] higher education as a whole … I think there should be a greater emphasis on what's going on right now rather than the history of [a topic]," McGehee said.
Building Future Policymakers
Wicks sees his students as future leaders shaping how society uses AI. Most people start from the same knowledge level with the technology, giving his class an advantage as they develop critical thinking skills.
"I hope they use [what they learned] to be positive participants in civil society at a moment where AI usage and technology needs real guardrails," Wicks said. "I'm confident that my students in that class will be the next generation of voices and policymakers."
For PR and communications professionals, understanding AI's ethical implications and how to discuss the technology with stakeholders is increasingly essential. This course model-grounded in communication theory and ethics-offers one approach to building that literacy. Learn more about AI for PR & Communications and AI for Education.
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