Courses

Contemporary forms of interactive digital narrative, ranging from electronic literature to games, demonstrate the affordances of the computer as a site of storytelling. Working from the prehistory of Oulipian constrained writing through to early hypertext experiments of authors such as Shelley Jackson to contemporary games such as Kentucky Route Zero, we will develop an understanding of both the history and current trends in born-digital literary experimentation and practice. Through the lens of these digital texts, we will explore the potential for reimagining the "book" through new interfaces, interactions, and technologies. No knowledge of code is necessary.

Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and GitHub CoPilot are fundamentally reshaping programming practices and workflows, raising questions about the future of code and so-called "prompt engineering," or writing for the machine. This class will situate this moment of potential transformation in the history of literate programming and "natural language" coding using Inform 7, as well as current tools such as ml5.js, an accessible machine learning library. Students will engage this history and future of computational creativity through writing and re-writing code, both with and without generative AI interventions, for conversational bots, interactive fiction, and experimental games.

What makes a city, well, a city? This course examines urban society across different regions of the ancient world from the 2nd millennium BCE to 1st millennium CE. Taking a comparative approach to examples from the Mediterranean, Near East, Mesoamerica and China, we will reconstruct social, political, and topographic histories of urban space from a kaleidoscope of sources that include archaeological excavations, art & architecture, inscriptions, and literature. We will approach this source material using digital methods such as 3D modeling, GIS mapping, and digital storytelling to reconstruct both the physical environments and lived experiences of past cities.

Students work on a research project related to a faculty member's research interests, and directed by that faculty member. Student activities vary according to the field and stage of the project. The long-run goal of these projects normally includes dissemination to a scholarly community beyond Carleton. The faculty member will meet regularly with the student and actively direct the work of the student, who will submit an end-of-term product, typically a paper or presentation.

What makes computers computers? Are computers defined by their existing functionalities, future capabilities, individual components, or something else? Are there inherent risks to the technologies we surround ourselves with, and are there ways we can mitigate those risks to live happier lives? What is truth in the post-GenAI world?

By peering into the black-box of everyday technologies alongside the philosophical discussions they engender, we will investigate the fundamental questions computing technologies and its mind-bending pace of advancement are posing in our lives, communities, and society.

CS 302 is cross listed with DGAH 302.

Students work on a research project related to a faculty member's research interests, and directed by that faculty member. Student activities vary according to the field and stage of the project. The long-run goal of these projects normally includes dissemination to a scholarly community beyond Carleton. The faculty member will meet regularly with the student and actively direct the work of the student, who will submit an end-of-term product, typically a paper or presentation.

The work of Digital Arts & Humanities takes place at the crossroads of computing, humanities, and creative production. While digital tools and computational methods can enhance humanities research and artistic production, traditional humanistic approaches must also question digital technologies. Both the processes and products of this work stretch the boundaries of familiar academic formats. In this course, students will create an ePortfolio that curates and critically reflects on the digital processes and products of courses and co-curricular experiences at Carleton, guided by readings on the current state of interdisciplinary digital scholarship. A capstone for the DGAH minor, the seminar will include numerous workshop events and culminate in public portfolio presentations. Prerequisite: Prior DGAH coursework, including but not limited to the DGAH core courses.