Crafting Practical Magic: Navigating Humanities Education in a Post-AI World

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. - Arthur C. Clarke This paper delves into the nuanced challenges instructors encounter when designing humanities courses in a post-AI world and explores my attempts to translate this transitional moment for the liberal arts. While these challenges are not unique to the humanities nor confined to this particular moment, they are novel in an unknown possibility, facing a technological future beyond our wildest imaginations. The tenuous future of the humanities is nothing new. And yet, we must all agree there is a certain magic living inside the humanities. Ultimately, it was this magic that drew us to them despite being told it would be difficult to put into practice (ahem, a career). Now more than ever, our students want their degrees to translate into a practical reality that often appears too nebulous when sitting in, say, a French literature or grammar class. The proliferation of AI tools further complicates this landscape, promising efficiency at the expense of individual experience. Therefore, I developed a practical assignment that extends beyond the classroom into the future lives of my students. In my course, French 297: Paris in Literature, Film, and Culture, I assigned students to meticulously plan a trip to the City of Light. This comprehensive assignment required them to develop a detailed daily itinerary with strict budget considerations, navigating the intricacies of transportation, accommodations, dining, and leisure activities. To facilitate collaboration, students presented their research on a shared Google Site. Additionally, students partnered with a peer for a "meet-up" session, engaged in constructive peer reviews, and even performed a self-reflection where they graded their work, fostering a collaborative learning environment between the students and instructor. Lastly, students compared their research findings to ChatGPT, engaging in a series of inquiries and evaluating the quality of the responses received. Student responses were collected in a survey, the results of which inform our assessment of the experience. As for the magic? Well, that’s the easy part. We blended the natural enchantment of our readings and course materials with the transformative power of cutting-edge technology, empowering students to cultivate a practical magic, perfectly poised for real-world applications.