Universität Wien

124263 KO Critical Media Analysis (2024W)

Critical Media Literacy in the Age of AI

6.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 12 - Anglistik
Continuous assessment of course work
REMOTE
Sa 14.12. 10:00-15:00 Digital

Registration/Deregistration

Note: The time of your registration within the registration period has no effect on the allocation of places (no first come, first served).

Details

max. 30 participants
Language: English

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

The classes start s.t. (sine tempore - at 10:00 sharp). Please follow the instructions on moodle to join the zoom meetings.

In addition to the 5 Saturdays, participation in at least one of the e-lectures of the “Critical AI Seminar Series” organized by the CREATE lab of the University of Amsterdam is mandatory:
- October 16 from 5:30-7 PM: Lucy Suchman (Lancaster University) on the ‘Deadly ground truths of AI-enabled warfighting’
- December 3 from 5:30-7 PM: Invited lecture by Mike Ananny (USC Annenberg) on ‘Stabilizing Generative AI as a Public Concern’
- January 22 (2025) from 5:30-7 PM: Lilly Irani (University of California, San Diego)

Registration details coming soon.

  • Saturday 12.10. 10:00 - 12:00 Digital
  • Saturday 19.10. 10:00 - 12:00 Digital
  • Saturday 09.11. 10:00 - 15:00 Digital
  • Saturday 18.01. 10:00 - 15:00 Digital

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

The surge in AI-generated images and videos has captivated online and print audiences alike. Viral sensations like "the Pope in Balenciaga" or fake images of the arrest of Donald Trump have sparked a spectrum of reactions ranging from disbelief and concern to unbridled enthusiasm, wondering whether these elaborate AI techniques for amateur cultural production mark a tipping point in digital culture: new dimensions of creativity, playful artistic social commentary, fan culture, and unprecedented accessibility to once-elite techniques coexist with the darker side – harmful deep fakes, fake news, manipulative stereotyping, and the capitalist drive to exploit and monetize every facet of cultural production.
Does this call for new levels of critical media literacy capable of navigating the intricate (ab)use of technology, agency, and power in the age of AI?
This course ventures beyond a purely technical exploration of AI and explores what people, corporations, and politics can do with this technology. Students will first examine the foundational aspects of critical media literacy and re-think their own position and experience with (critical) media literacy. With a focus on AI for cultural production, students will then adapt existing frameworks and propose modifications. They will be able to explain how concepts like “mean images”, “frontier”, or “data labor”, may be used to understand the ethical, ideological, political, and economic implications surrounding the use of AI tools. Students will therefore be able to identify and analyze how power dynamics concerning class, race, gender, and ability are inscribed, produced, or challenged through the use or representation of AI applications in a cultural and artistic contexts.
The overall objective of this course is to empower students as informed navigators in the evolving media landscape, enabling them to consume, question, and contribute to media content critically and responsibly in the age of AI. Through the cultivation of students' abilities to evaluate media content influenced by AI, the course encourages AI literacy and a nuanced understanding of concepts such as authenticity, bias, and underlying power dynamics. Students will heighten their ethical and societal awareness by exploring AI's role in shaping cultural production, public opinion, reinforcing or challenging societal norms, and influencing cultural discourses and narratives. The course also equips students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world examples, investigating controversial cases in the creative industries and media. Practical insights are gained through hands-on tasks using AI tools in study groups. Furthermore, the course aims to enhance students' proficiency in annotating academic texts and communicating complex ideas related to critical media literacy and AI, both in written and oral forms.
Fostering active participation and collaborative learning, the course blends e-lectures, discussions of class readings and case studies, small group in-class activities, and presentations by study groups.

Assessment and permitted materials

This is an interactive course with synchronous and asynchronous learning phases. The course requires class attendance, self study and study group phases:

Part 1 (40 credits) participation: continuous preparation for class via moodle, in-class discussions, in-class presentation, feedback
Part 2 (20 credits) midterm reading response: upload 4 annotated readings
Part 3 (40 credits) final essay based on readings and presentations

The use of AI tools needs to be acknowledged, cited, and reflected. Best practice examples will be discussed in class.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Students must pass with more than 50% in every part and overall, (extra-credits possible in part 1)
89-100 credits: 1
76-88 credits: 2
63-75 credits: 3
50-62 credits: 4
0-49 credits: 5

Examination topics

materials covered in class, research for case study, annotated readings

Reading list


Baas, Michiel. “Artificial Intelligence and the Question of Creativity: Art, Data and the Sociocultural Archive of AI-Imaginations.” European Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 27, no. 4, 2024, pp. 788–95, https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494241246640.
Jiang, Harry H., et al. “AI Art and Its Impact on Artists.” Proceedings of the 2023 AAAI/ACM Conference on AI, Ethics, and Society, ACM, 2023, pp. 363–74.
Jin, D.Y. Artificial Intelligence in Cultural Production: Critical Perspectives on Digital Platforms (1st ed.). Routledge, 2023.
Kellner, Douglas, and Jeff Share. “Critical Media Literacy Is Not an Option.” Learning Inquiry, vol. 1, no. 1, Apr. 2007, pp. 59–69.
Li, Eva Cheuk-Yin, and Ka-Wei Pang. “Fandom Meets Artificial Intelligence: Rethinking Participatory Culture as Human–Community–Machine Interactions.” European Journal of Cultural Studies, vol. 27, no. 4, 2024, pp. 778–87, https://doi.org/10.1177/13675494241236146.
Lindgren, Simon. Handbook of Critical Studies of Artificial Intelligence. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023.
Miao, Fengchun & Holmes, Wayne for UNESCO. "Guidance for generative AI in education and research", 2023, https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000386693
Miceli, Milagros, und Julian Posada. The Data-Production Dispositif. arXiv:2205.11963, arXiv, 24. Mai 2022, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2205.11963.
Mitchell, Margaret. “Ethical AI Isn’t to Blame for Google’s Gemini Debacle.” TIME, 29 Feb. 2024, https://time.com/6836153/ethical-ai-google-gemini-debacle/.
Mussies, Martine. "Artificial Intelligence and the Production of Fan Art." Transformative Works and Cultures, no. 40, 2023.
Phan, Tao. Hancock Lecture: "Artificial Figures: Gender-in-the-Making in Algorithmic Culture.", 2023.
Small, Zachary. “Black Artists Say A.I. Shows Bias, With Algorithms Erasing Their History.” The New York Times, 4 July 2023
Spring, Marianna. “Trump Supporters Target Black Voters with Faked AI Images.” BBC, 4 Mar. 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68440150.
Steyerl, Hito. “Mean Images.” New Left Review, no. 140/141, Apr. 2023, pp. 82–97.
“Teaching AI Ethics: The Series.” Leon Furze, 16 June 2023, https://leonfurze.com/ai-ethics/
https://studieren.univie.ac.at/lernen-pruefen/ki-in-studium-und-lehre/

Association in the course directory

Studium: BA 612, BEd 046/407
Code/Modul: BA07.3; BEd 08a.2, BEd 08b.1
Lehrinhalt: 12-4260

Last modified: Fr 06.09.2024 10:06