**Please Note** While almost all of the readings listed here can be found in UBC library, a few of these readings may require you to employ a little google help.
Asynchronous readings:
Week 1 (July 2nd-10th): A starting place for GenAI: Introductions, Ideas, and Experimentation.
Readings:
- Coleman, B. (2021). Technology of The Surround. Catalyst: Feminism, Theory, Technoscience, 7(2), 1–21.
- Crawford, K. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, Politics and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence. Yale University Press.
- Hao, K. (2025). Empire of AI: Dreams and nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI. Penguin Press. Chapters 2, 12, 18.
Viewing (Optional):
- Roher, D., & Tyrell, C. (Directors). (2026). The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist [Film]. Playgrounds; Cottage M; Fishbowl Films.
- Veatch, V. (Director). (2026). Ghost in the Machine [Film]. Distributed Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (DAIR); PBS Documentaries; Kinema.
Further reading (optional):
- Buolamwini, J. (2023). Unmasking AI: My mission to protect what is human in a world of machines. Random House.
- Christian, B. (2020). The alignment problem: Machine learning and human values. W. W. Norton & Company.
Week 2 (July 10th-17th): Critically evaluating the place(s) and use(s) of GenAI in learning, teaching, and the workplace.
Readings:
- Suchman, L. (2023). The uncontroversial ‘thingness’ of AI. Big Data & Society, 10(2) https://doi.org/10.1177/20539517231206794
- Bucher, T. (2025). Beyond the hype: Reframing AI through algorithms and culture. Journal of Communication, 75(1), 81-84.
- Horvath, J. C. (2025). The digital delusion: How classroom technology harms our kids’ learning—and how to help them thrive again. LME Global. Chapters 6 & 7.
- Winterson, J. (2021). 12 Bytes: How Artificial Intelligence will change the way we live and love. Vintage. Chapters 1, 2, and 3. (**Note this book is alternatively titled “12 Bytes: How We Got Here. Where We Might Go Next.” in an more recent re-print)
Viewing (Required):
- Jeanette Winterson, On AI’s parallels with religion and the need for alternative intelligence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_NjYmRHP1k
- Wayne Holmes (2025, Oct. 2). The future of AI and education. Keynote: Critical studies of artificial intelligence and education. Royal Irish Academy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHbM3L3M8KE *starts at 18:34*
Further reading (optional):
- UBC AI use guidelines: https://genai.ubc.ca/guidance/teaching-learning-guidelines/
- University of Saskatchewan AI use guidelines: https://leadership.usask.ca/initiatives/ai/index.php
- Baron, N. S. (2026). Reader bot: What happens when AI reads and why it matters. Stanford University Press.
In-Person Institute Readings:
Day One, July 20th Readings (see the “course-stuff” Slack channel for PDF versions of the following 3 readings):
- Livingstone, V., & Stricker, J. K. (2025, June 13). The disappearance of the unclear question. UNESCO. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/disappearance-unclear-question
- Horowitch, R. (2026, July 8). The end of reading is here. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/
Day Two, July 21st Readings:
- Vallor, S. (2024). The AI mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking. Oxford University Press.
Day Three, July 22nd Readings:
- Vallor, S. (2024). The AI mirror: How to reclaim our humanity in an age of machine thinking. Oxford University Press.
Day Four, July 23rd Readings:
- Christian, B. (2020). The alignment problem: Machine learning and human values. W. W. Norton & Company. Chapters, 4, 5, 6, 7.
- Leo XIV, Pope. (2026). Magnifica humanitas [Encyclical letter]. The Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/encyclicals/documents/20260515-magnifica-humanitas.html#THE_GRANDEUR
Day Five, July 24th Readings:
None