AiMS is a liberal arts program that looks specifically at the role of AI (and related technologies) in culture through the context (and content) of media. In scholarly terms it runs from the social scientific side of media studies in communication through the cultural study of science and technology and into media arts. It also includes communication media arts, which are professional/workplace rhetorical-communicational practices. (We already do the fine and experimental media arts, so this would be something in conversation with that but also different.) 

The program recognizes that a critical and practical understanding of computing is necessary for any contemporary liberal arts program with its fundamental charge of providing citizens with the knowledge and skills to contribute to the public good. In other words, there’s no future for “us” if we can’t claim computing as a cultural practice.

Undergraduate Degree in AiMS (60-80 cr.)

Introductory 

• A history of calculation and statistics 
• A history of media 
• AI and society
• Programming in the Arts and Humanities 1 and 2

Required CS/Programming Sequence

• Discrete Structures
• Data Structures
• Statistics 

AI, Media, and Society Areas

(n.b., with all these topic areas, though we consider diversity and inclusion in the courses we design, if we have the teaching capacity, we can also teach with different intersectional foci. It could be Disability and VR or Media Infrastructures in India and so on.)

• Critical Data Studies
• Media Infrastructures (networks, servers and other infrastructural supports for media and computation)
• Software Studies 
• Platform Studies 
• Video Game Studies
• Media Archeology (the technical history of media and computation through the study of hardware)
• Virtual Realities
• Media Activism
• Race and Technology
• AI, Ethics, and Bias
• AI and Media Philosophy 
• Social Media and Networks

AI, Media and Communication Arts 

• Generative AI and Writing
• Interface Design
• Data and Visual Communication
• Critical Design
• Speculative Design
• Video Game Design
• XR/VR/AR Design
• Web Development
• Digital Communication
• Digital Storytelling
• Journalism
• Documentary Media
• Additional Programming Courses

Experiential Learning 

• Service Learning
• Regular hands-on learning and team projects
• Internships
• Study Abroad
• Research/Creative Activity 

Disciplinary Contexts for Ai, Media and Society

In the broadest terms, there are the following broad areas of university-based, AI-related research.

1. Computer science and mathematics research on the technological function and use of AI.
2. Research that employes AI technology and/or looks to develop new AI-related research methods.
3. Arts research and practice that experiments with the use of AI tools in art making. 
4. Humanities and social science areas of study that view AI (and technology) as a secondary (or tertiary) area of concern. E.g., a sociologist that studies cyberbullying among adolescents might concern themselves with the role of AI in bullying, such as deep fakes.
5. Humanities and social science research that is specifically focused on the study of socio-cultural, material, individual human, and ethical concerns about AI and other digital media and technology.

In my view, all of these should be part of a curriculum, but it is the last which should be at the core. That is, a program with the fundamental aim of studying how AI shapes and is shaped by culture should have research that does that at its foundation. Though I work in that last category, I have no interest in drawing a boundary around it. To the contrary, I think we would need to look for volunteers. 

One last thing

Here is the text that generated the feature image above. I didn’t “engineer” that prompt. The AI engineered its own prompt. Exactly what in the text I wrote “inspired” the AI to write this?

Create a featured image for a blog post about the AiMS program, highlighting the intersection of AI, media, and society. The image should depict a diverse group of students and educators engaging with advanced technology in a vibrant classroom setting, showcasing computers, digital art, and interactive media. Use warm, inviting lighting to create an inspiring atmosphere. The style should be modern and academic, emphasizing creativity and collaboration in learning. Ensure the image is high resolution and highly detailed, with sharp focus to capture the dynamic elements of the scene

If you’d like to figure that out, then you should be in AiMS!