DS513 - Shakespeare Meets A!

basically a way to get into classic literature using, well, modern tech.

Exactly. We're going to unpack how this course uses three big plays, a fellow twelfth night and

Richard II. The goal isn't just reading Shakespeare. It's about teaching you how to analyze critically

and even co-write with AI. Go right with AI on Shakespeare.

Okay. It's a shortcut, really, to understanding how these digital tools are changing the game

for literary interpretation. All right. Let's get into it. So where does it start? The basics,

I guess. Uh-huh. Unit one is all about Shakespeare's influence, how his work still resonates,

how it's been adapted over time, sort of setting the stage. Okay. Context first. Makes sense.

Then crucially, Unit two gives you the foundational AI knowledge. Things like machine learning,

digital humanities, what algorithms actually do with text. Like how they process it.

Right. And understanding training data is key here. You know, what texts was the AI fed initially,

because that helps you spot potential issues later. This is like bias. Exactly.

Bias in how it might interpret say gender roles or historical events based on that initial data

and also questions about like authorship. Gotcha. So foundation laid, then you move into the

plays themselves. Yep. They break it down by genre. A fellow for tragedy, twelfth night for comedy,

and Richard the second is the history play. Standard stuff, right? Seems so. But I hear there's

a twist. Oh yeah. This is where it's really interesting. Units four, six, and eight. They give you AI

generated versions of these plays. AI versions. Okay. But, and this is the kicker. These versions

have deliberate errors baked in. Wait, errors on purpose? Why would they do that? Aren't you

supposed to be learning the real play? That's the whole point. The challenge is for you to spot

these mistakes could be chronology, locations, characters, plot points, anything. Huh. So you're

like a detective. Precisely. You learn the text by finding the flaws in the AI version. That's clever,

actually. It really pushes your analytical skills. Then once you sort of mastered that critical

side, you get to the creative part, the co-authoring. Exactly. Creative co-authorship. For a fellow in

unit nine, you can actually interact with an AI playing a main character. Interact how? You can

discuss the plot, their motivations. Yeah. It's like getting inside their head,

testing their perspective through dialogue. Wow. Okay. And what about 12th night? That was

fascinating. Unit 10 lets you take on a character role yourself. But here's the fun part. You can

act completely out of character, totally different from the original plot. And just see what happens.

See how the AI characters react. You got it. It's exploring how changing one element,

one character's choices, ripples through the narrative when the other actors are AI.

That sounds like fun, actually. Improv with AI shaped beer characters. It is. And finally,

for Richard II, Unit 11 uses an interview mode. The AI playing King Richard gives you a research

question. Yeah. Something specific about the play or its context, you have to solve it through dialogue

with the AI King. Then you write up a summary and the AI gives you feedback on it. Like a tutor.

So it's testing your research and writing skills, too. It all seems to build up.

It does. And it all leads to the final part. Unit 12, the project workshop and digital showcase.

Right. The big finale. What happens there? This is where you bring it all together.

You'd develop and present your own project. Could be anything, really.

Like a performance using AI, or maybe visualizing data from the plays.

Or experimental rewrites. Basically, anything that creatively blends

Shakespeare with the AI tools you've learned to use. So, looking back at the whole thing,

this course isn't just about, you know, reading old plays. Not at all. It's about actively working

with AI. Pushing how we interpret these texts. What authorship even means now. It's hands-on

literary studies for the digital age. Absolutely.