Faculty Futures Lab

Initiative for Inclusive Leadership
Faculty Futures Lab

Faculty Futures Lab is a faculty-led podcast that considers the challenges facing institutions of higher education in complex and uncertain times. All guests speak from their own expertise and experience. Produced by the San Diego State University Center for Teaching and Learning.

  1. 10 JUN

    FFL 4.4 "AI (and) Art”

    Much like everything else related to AI, AI art has evolved rapidly over the last 18 months. More sophisticated and substantial applications of generative AI have emerged in a variety of art contexts, including a new film by today’s guest. Ava Aviva Avnisan talks with D.J. and Pam about gender, autobiography, and history in her new film Specters of Home — Prologue, which was created in large part using generative AI tools. SHOW NOTES “An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy.” https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/02/technology/ai-artificial-intelligence-artists.html To see some of the film discussed in this episode, follow this link to the artist’s website: https://avivaavnisan.com/specters-of-home Bios Ava Aviva Avnisan (she/they) is a multidisciplinary artist whose work is situated at the intersection of image, text and code. Using emerging technology against the grain, she subverts dominant narratives through embodied encounters with language. Ava is an Assistant Professor at San Diego State University with a joint appointment in the School of Art and Design and the School of Journalism and Media Studies.  https://avivaavnisan.com/bio Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University where he serves as the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. His publications have focused on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre and virtual reality. https://ttf.sdsu.edu/faculty/theatre_faculty_profiles/d.j-hopkins Dr. Pamella Lach (she/her) is the Digital Humanities Librarian at San Diego State University and Director of the SDSU Library’s Digital Humanities Center, a values-oriented space designed to blur and disrupt disciplinary boundaries. She is co-director of SDSU’s Digital Humanities Initiative. https://dh.sdsu.edu/ Editor's note: Just before the completion of FFL 4.4, SDSU’s beautiful Digital Humanities Center was flooded. As a result, some editing didn’t get completed quite to spec. Thanks for your patience, FFL listeners!

    31 min
  2. 14/12/2023

    FFL 4.2 "AI Ethics and Higher Ed"

    FFL 4.2 AI Ethics: Embrace or Opt Out…? The latest episode of Faculty Futures Lab considers the ethical dimensions of generative AI, recorded on the first anniversary of ChatGPT's public launch. Host D.J. Hopkins and co-host Pam Lach talk with guest Lorenzo Nericcio about the complexities and challenges posed by AI technologies in #HigherEd. The conversation touches on the labor, environmental, and personal impacts of AI, underscoring the need for ethical considerations in its adoption and use. BIOS Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University. His publications focus on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre and Virtual Reality. He is the Director of SDSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Dr. Pamella Lach (she/her) is the Digital Humanities Librarian at San Diego State University and Director of the SDSU Library’s Digital Humanities Center, a values-oriented space designed to blur and disrupt disciplinary boundaries. She is co-director of SDSU’s Digital Humanities Initiative. Lorenzo Nericcio is a San Diego-based philosophy and humanities instructor specializing in applying the humanities' toolkit to questions regarding science, technology, and society. His research focuses on applied normative ethics, specifically emerging technology ethics and environmental ethics. He also works as a consultant for Compass Ethics. Special thanks to Patrick Flanigan, the SDSU Digital Humanities Center Programs & Operations Specialist. Thanks for making us sound great! LINKS Faculty Futures Lab Season 4, episode 1, “AI in the Classroom,” with guest E.J. Sobo. https://soundcloud.com/facultyfutureslab Sobo, Elisa. “Could ChatGPT Prompt a New Golden Age in Higher Education?” Teaching and Learning Anthropology 6.1 (2023). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5p3048f2 Stein, Jordan Alexander. “Instead of Policing Students, We Need to Abolish Cheating.” Chronicle of Higher Education. 7 Sept. 2023. https://www-chronicle-com.libproxy.sdsu.edu/article/instead-of-policing-students-we-need-to-abolish-cheating Dzieza, Josh. “AI Is a Lot of Work.” 20 June 2023. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ai-artificial-intelligence-humans-technology-business-factory.html Note: A first draft of the description of the episode was generated by GPT-4. It had a spelling error and a grammatical error, which have been corrected.

    31 min
  3. 09/10/2023

    FFL 4.1 "AI in the Classroom"

    Discussion of the impact of generative AI on higher education, with a focus on ChatGPT and writing. With Dr. E.J. Sobo, author of “Could ChatGPT Prompt a New Golden Age in Higher Education?” Hosts: Dr. D.J. Hopkins and Dr. Pam Lach The Faculty Futures Lab podcast is a faculty-led effort to consider the challenges facing institutions of higher education in complex and uncertain times. All guests speak from their own expertise and experience. Produced by the San Diego State University Center for Teaching and Learning. Learn more at ctl.sdsu.edu. BIOS Dr. Elisa J. Sobo, a professor at San Diego State University, is the Director for Undergraduate Research in the College of Arts and Letters and a Faculty Fellow in the division of Instructional Technology Services. A Medical Anthropologist, EJ’s research has focused on non-biomedical or alternative approaches to health, including through vaccination selectivity. She is currently investigating yogic sound bath therapy. https://anthropology.sdsu.edu/people/sobo Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University. His publications focus on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre and Virtual Reality. He is the Director of SDSU’s Center for Teaching and Learning. https://ttf.sdsu.edu/faculty/theatre_faculty_profiles/d.j-hopkins Dr. Pamella Lach (she/her) is the Digital Humanities Librarian at San Diego State University and Director of the Library’s Digital Humanities Center (https://library.sdsu.edu/dh), a values-oriented space designed to blur and disrupt disciplinary boundaries. She is co-director of SDSU’s Digital Humanities Initiative (https://dh.sdsu.edu/). https://library2.sdsu.edu/people/pamella-lach Special thanks to Patrick Flanigan, the SDSU Digital Humanities Center Programs & Operations Specialist. Thanks for making us sound great! CITATIONS and LINKS Stein, Jordan Alexander. “Instead of Policing Students, We Need to Abolish Cheating.” Chronicle of Higher Education. 7 Sept. 2023. https://www-chronicle-com.libproxy.sdsu.edu/article/instead-of-policing-students-we-need-to-abolish-cheating?cid=gen_sign_in Sobo, E.J. “Could ChatGPT Prompt a New Golden Age in Higher Education?” Teaching and Learning Anthropology Journal 6.1 (2023). https://escholarship.org/uc/item/5p3048f2 “Suspicion, Cheating, and Bans: A.I. Hits America’s Schools.” The Daily (podcast). 28 June 2023. https://www.nytimes.com/column/the-daily

    24 min
  4. 04/12/2022

    FFL 3.4 WRITING

    This episode is about WRITING: Why we write, and the social justice work that can be done with and in writing. With Dr. Patrick Anderson (UC San Diego) and Dr. Patricia Ybarra (Brown University). ACT I: Writing to Survive (15 minutes) —Finding ourselves in writing, writing as a tool for BIPOC and queer activism and advocacy. ACT II: Coming Together (17 minutes) —Collaborative writing, the future of the academic conference, and the radical idea of modeling care for each other… BIOS Dr. Patrick Anderson is Professor of Communication and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, San Diego. His research has explored the politics of hunger striking (and other forms of self-starvation), the experience of illness within contemporary medical institutions, and the strange history of empathy. He is currently writing a book on police violence, based on his four years serving on San Diego’s Commission on Police Practices, and a book on queer suicide. Website: patrick.ucsd.edu Dr. Patricia Ybarra (she/her) is Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies at Brown University. Ybarra’s most recent book is Latinx Theater in the Times of Neoliberalism. She is currently working on a digital humanities project on Reza Abdoh’s Father Was a Peculiar Man and a monograph on Abdoh and the development of queer theory.  Website: https://vivo.brown.edu/display/pybarra Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University. His publications focus on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre and virtual reality. Website: https://ttf.sdsu.edu/faculty/theatre_faculty_profiles/d.j-hopkins Here’s the citation for the article discussed in this episode: Patrick Anderson and Patricia Ybarra. “Is this Ballroom a Bathhouse?: The Promise and Peril of Coming Together.” Theatre Journal 74.4 (December 2022). This is not a practical how-to-write kinda episode. If you’re interested in writing productivity, visit the website for the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. I read the NCFDD’s Monday Motivator every week. I’m no longer on Twitter — find me on Mastodon…? D.J.H.

    33 min
  5. 03/11/2022

    FFL 3.3 Quiet Quitting in Academia

    Guests Dr. Lacie Barber and Dr. Jennifer Imazeki speak with Dr. D.J. Hopkins about the workplace practice known as “Quiet Quitting” and what Quiet Quitting looks like in a higher ed context. What prompts someone to choose Quiet Quitting? And what personal and institutional responses might help…? Guests Dr. Lacie Barber (she/her) is an associate professor* at San Diego State University in the psychology department. Her research focuses on worker stress and how leaders can build psychologically healthy workplaces where employees thrive. Her current projects focus on how to manage work-life balance problems arising from constant access to work emails and text messages. Follow her on Twitter: @dr_lbarber Dr. Jennifer Imazeki is a Senate Distinguished Professor and Professor of Economics at San Diego State University. Her research has focused on the economics of K-12 education, and teaching in economics. In her current role as the Associate Vice President for Faculty and Staff Diversity, she leads the Equity and Inclusion Councils, comprised of diversity liaisons from all campus units, and oversees unit-level diversity planning and campus initiatives to promote inclusive recruitment of faculty and staff. https://sites.google.com/a/mail.sdsu.edu/jenniferimazeki/ Host Dr. D.J. Hopkins (he/him) is a professor at San Diego State University. His publications focus on Shakespeare in performance and theatre in urban contexts. His current research includes immersive theatre and virtual reality. @_DJHopkins https://ttf.sdsu.edu/faculty/theatre_faculty_profiles/d.j-hopkins Further Reading Alyson Krueger. “Who Is Quiet Quitting For?” The New York Times. 23 August 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/23/style/quiet-quitting-tiktok.html Greg Rosalsky and Alina Selyukh. “The economics behind 'quiet quitting' — and what we should call it instead.” NPR. 13 September 2022. https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2022/09/13/1122059402/the-economics-behind-quiet-quitting-and-what-we-should-call-it-instead See also: “You’ve Burned Out. Now What?” By Rebecca Pope-Ruark. https://www.chronicle.com/article/youve-burned-out-now-what

    22 min

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Faculty Futures Lab is a faculty-led podcast that considers the challenges facing institutions of higher education in complex and uncertain times. All guests speak from their own expertise and experience. Produced by the San Diego State University Center for Teaching and Learning.

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