Deep Narratives: From Microbiomes to AI

Catalog description

This course will focus on the evolution of narrative from the earliest semiotic emergence in prokaryotic cells to the more recent arrival of large language models as the basis of AI. The course will ask the questions: What is narrative? Why is it such an important part of the human umwelt? What are its evolutionary origins? Where is our pursuit of story leading? Along the way, students will look at literature, scientific research, and culturally relevant commentary.