What will I learn?
Humanities, Not New Technology, Not New TechHum, Cutting Edge Technological Humanities (TechHum for short), a unique program that trains you to use technology and critically examine its social, cultural, philosophical, and artistic implications, arms you with a dynamic set of qualitative and quantitative analytic skills. Digital technologies are transforming the Humanities with smarter ways of analyzing and interpreting cultural and historical data. This new academic field helps fulfill the urgent need for professionals with technical skills like data analysis, web development, and new media communications. All kinds of careers are open to graduates with these skills: user experience researcher/analyst, market researcher, business manager, marketing communications and advertising executive, journalist, lawyer, national security analyst/advisor, nonprofit organization executive, social media planner and content writer, and public policy analyst. At LTU, you can create an individualized and flexible curriculum that combines foundational computer science courses, advanced courses in history, philosophy, and literature, and courses in a technological focus of your choice. Possible study areas include the social impact of artificial intelligence (AI), big data, bioengineering, or sustainable design. Your degree culminates in an original interdisciplinary research project that offers excellent preparation for industry work and/or graduate studies. » Why LTU? Small class size. Faculty members are active researchers in diverse fields such as energy humanities, philosophy of emotion, public policy, and techno cultural theory. Interdisciplinary approaches create opportunities for students to explore emerging cultural and political issues. Recent student projects have included AI and copyright law, AI as a tool for literary interpretation, and human-computer interaction. The degree makes it easy to minor in computer science, marketing, technical communication, or game design. » AI: An Ideal Moment for Technological Humanities AI technology is already creating new jobs, destroying old jobs, creating new efficiencies, and causing new forms of dysfunction. This will surely continue as AI models develop, and we find new applications for them in our work and in our lives. To be successful in this dynamic time, it is essential to develop a technological literacy, and also develop the intellectual tools to understand the historical, cultural, ethical, and social implications of these technologies. The next generation of leaders needs to understand how technology has always shaped the world we live in, while also understanding the ways in which the AI revolution is truly something new. The Technological Humanities curriculum is designed for this moment. All Tech Hum majors will develop basic programming skills, and pursue greater depth in a technological field of their choice. They will also take a series of courses in the fields of communications, literature, history, and philosophy which will help them develop a deeper understanding of this technology. For example, in History of Technology students will develop a broad understanding of the role of technology in American and world history, and in Ethics of Computation students will evaluate the ethical implications of the latest AI developments.
