Objectives
The Iberian Podcast Project was created by instructor Alexandra Mira Alonso to engage students in analyzing Catalan culture and society through a novel AI-focused approach within SPAN 3246, an introductory Catalan culture course. The podcast series aimed to foster critical thinking on AI’s role in shaping social narratives, allowing students to explore topics like politics, ideology, and social bias in AI-generated artifacts.
Students were encouraged to thoughtfully engage with AI while using the tools in a guided, academic setting. Each podcast episode sought to address how AI might reinforce or challenge stereotypes regarding gender, race, and national identity, while also prompting students to actively reflect on their understanding of these issues within the Spanish-speaking world.
Outcomes
The project produced significant academic and linguistic outcomes for students, encouraging them to make tangible connections between language learning and the ethical implications of AI in contemporary society. Engaging in podcast creation allowed students to practice essential Spanish skills across reading, writing, listening, and speaking, while also requiring them to synthesize information critically in a new medium.
This experience helped them apply their classroom learning in innovative ways, such as evaluating how AI-generated content often reflects and even reinforces stereotypes within like gender, race, and national identity. As they created and reflected on their podcast episodes, students were able to gain a firsthand understanding of the ethical responsibilities tied to AI literacy.
The interdisciplinary nature of the project encouraged students to draw connections between academic readings, primary sources, and AI-generated content, fostering a holistic approach to both language and cultural studies. This exploration which links their AI analyses to broader questions of social justice and identity within Catalan and Spanish-speaking societies. For some students, the project even spurred additional interest in ethical AI and broader implications beyond the classroom, hinting at the potential for long-term academic or professional pursuits in AI ethics, media studies, or language-focused digital humanities.
The project also underscored the importance of guidance in AI-focused assignments, as some students initially approached AI tools with the same trust they would place in conventional search engines. The experience highlighted the need to build AI literacy into language and cultural studies curricula more intentionally so that students can thoughtfully assess the limitations of AI and to understand the environmental and societal impacts of AI technologies.
The Iberian Podcast Project illustrates how, when used critically, AI can play an active role in developing a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to learning that bridges language, ethics, and emerging technologies.
Team
Alexandra Mira Alonso
Department of Spanish and Portuguese
