Curriculum trains students to use generative AI ethically and spot its flaws
UCLA launches this fall the nation’s first digital humanities department and bachelor’s degree program, the university announced.
The new discipline pairs classical humanities with technical know-how to examine a digitized and increasingly AI-enhanced world, the university said. The major fuses technical tools for statistical analysis, coding, 3D mapping and data visualization with traditional humanities subjects — including history, literature and global cultures. The university described the design as a multidisciplinary approach that responds to what employers say they want: graduates who can think critically while also using new technology.
The major also requires substantial teamwork among students, another skill hiring managers say they seek.
Program developers identified the rise of generative artificial intelligence as a central focus of the curriculum, according to the university. Students will be trained to use AI ethically and to understand how easily the technology can produce misleading content.
Coursework will also examine how new technologies shape culture and how human biases can enter into the use of these tools, the university said.
The launch establishes the first dedicated U.S. academic department and undergraduate major in a field that combines humanistic inquiry with computational tools.