Course Texts
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Benjamin, R. (2019). Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. Polity Press.
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Odell, J. (2019). How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy. Melville House.
Course Bibliography: Open-Access Links
I. Corporate Frameworks and Primary Sources
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Anthropic. (2023). Claude’s Constitution: A Guide to Constitutional AI
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Anthropic. (2024). Alignment Faking in Large Language Models
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Google. (2025). Our AI Principles: A 2025 Progress Report
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Meta AI. (2024). Responsible Use Guide for Llama 3.1
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Midjourney. (2025). Community Showcase and Prompt Archives
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OpenAI. (2025). Our Approach to AI Safety
II. Academic and Policy Interventions
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Kapoor, S., & Narayanan, A. (2025). AI as Normal Technology | Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University
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Laird, E., et al. (2025). Hand in Hand: Schools’ Embrace of AI Connected to Increased Risks to Students | Center for Democracy & Technology
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Mitchell, M., et al. (2019). Model Cards for Model Reporting
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Mozilla Foundation. (2025). Why we made Privacy Not Included
III. Critical Theory and Journalism
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Crawford, K. (2021). Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence | Sydney Ideas Interview YouTube Recording
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Doctorow, C. (2023). “TikTok’s Enshittification”
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Hao, K. (2022). Artificial intelligence is creating a new colonial world order | MIT Technology Review
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O’Neil, C. (2017). The Era of Blind Faith in Big Data Must End | TED Talk
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O’Neil, C. (2024). Unmasking Unconscious Bias in AI
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Perrigo, B. (2023). The Labor of RLHF: Kenyan Workers and ChatGPT | TIME
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Silverman, J. (2025). Welcome to Slop World: How the Hostile Internet is Driving us Crazy | Financial Times
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Watkins, G. (2025). AI: The New Aesthetics of Fascism | New Socialist.
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Wu, T. (2016). The Crisis of Attention | Columbia Magazine
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Zuboff, S. (2021). The Coup We Are Not Talking About | New York Times
Algorithmic Information Literacy: Spring 2026 Schedule
| Monday: Foundations | Wednesday: Framework + Intervention | Friday | |
|---|---|---|---|
| W1 | Jan 12: Orientation: What is Algorithmic Information? | Jan 14: Anthropic: Claude’s Constitution + Kapoor & Narayanan: AI as Normal Tech | Jan 16: Writing Lab |
| W2 | Jan 19: NO CLASS (MLK DAY) | Jan 21: Ruha Benjamin: Race After Technology (Ch. 1-2) + OpenAI: Our Approach to AI Safety | Jan 23: Writing Lab |
| W3 | Jan 26: Ruha Benjamin: Race After Technology (Ch. 3-4) | Jan 28: CDT Report: Schools’ Embrace of AI / Risks to Students | Jan 30: Writing Lab |
| W4 | Feb 2: Ruha Benjamin: Race After Technology (Ch. 5-End) | Feb 4: Meta AI: Responsible Use Guide for Llama 3.1 | Feb 6: Writing Lab |
| W5 | Feb 9: Shoshana Zuboff: The Coup We Are Not Talking About | Feb 11: Google: Our AI Principles: 2025 Progress Report | Feb 13: Writing Lab |
| W6 | Feb 16: NO CLASS (PRESIDENTS DAY) | Feb 18: Cathy O’Neil: The Era of Blind Faith in Big Data Must End + Mitchell et al: Model Cards for Model Reporting | Feb 20: Writing Lab |
| W7 | Feb 23: Cathy O’Neil: Unmasking Unconscious Bias in AI | Feb 25: Anthropic: Alignment Faking in Large Language Models | Feb 27: Writing Lab |
| W8 | Mar 2: Kate Crawford: Atlas of AI (Sydney Ideas A/V Record) | Mar 4: Midjourney: Community Showcase + Gareth Watkins: AI: The New Aesthetics of Fascism | Mar 6: Writing Lab |
| W9 | MARCH 9-13 | SPRING BREAK | NO CLASS |
| W10 | Mar 16: Karen Hao: AI is Creating a New Colonial World Order | Mar 18: Billy Perrigo: The Labor of RLHF: Kenyan Workers and ChatGPT | Mar 20: Writing Lab |
| W11 | Mar 23: Tim Wu: The Crisis of Attention | Mar 25: Jacob Silverman: Welcome to Slop World: The Hostile Internet | Mar 27: Writing Lab |
| W12 | Mar 30: Jenny Odell: How to Do Nothing (Ch. 1-2) | Apr 1: Cory Doctorow: Tiktok’s Enshittification | Apr 3: Writing Lab |
| W13 | Apr 6: Jenny Odell: How to Do Nothing (Ch. 3-4) | Apr 8: Mozilla Foundation: Privacy Not Included: The 2025 AI Guide | Apr 10: Writing Lab |
| W14 | Apr 13: Jenny Odell: How to Do Nothing (Ch. 5-End) | Apr 15: Final Audit Case Study: Personal Refusal vs. Efficiency | Apr 17: Writing Lab |