GERMAN 195CCS
Theories of Learning in Humans and Machines
Sarah Pourciau
Description from DukeHub
This course examines what it means to learn through the lens of the German philosophical tradition, bringing theories about the formation (Bildung) of the human imagination (Einbildung) into dialogue with current discourses about machine learning and artificial intelligence. Students will investigate learning not simply as the acquisition of information or skills, but as a process of transformation that generates new capacities for thought, judgment, and aesthetic experience. Discussions will bounce between works of popular culture and classical philosophical and literary texts. We will read novels, watch films, analyze twitter threads, and gain a basic understanding of how machine learning works, all while grappling with the conundrum of what it actually entails to change our own minds.
Skills
- ai and machine learningdescription: "machine learning" and 2 more
- languageslanguage department: GERMAN
AI-resilient: 1 of 5
- No: Physical, lab or field work
- No: Live work with people
- No: Judgment someone is accountable for
- No: A craft you practice with your hands or body
- Yes: Small, in-person format · seminar, 18 seats per section
The checks lean on Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025), which found generative AI applies least to physical work and hands-on work with people. A signal, not a promise. How the score works
More in GERMAN
- First-Year German I GERMAN 101
- First-Year German II GERMAN 102
- Intermediate German I GERMAN 203
- Intermediate German II GERMAN 204
- Intermediate Conversation Practice GERMAN 210
- Advanced German II: Text and Context GERMAN 306S