[UG] Announcing a New Class at the Ahmanson Lab

Come play with cutting-edge technologies and explore the impact of simulation on society!

Simulation and Society

CORE 499

Spring 2025

2 Units

Thursdays 1:00PM-2:50PM

At the Ahmanson Lab (LVL 301)

Dr. Curtis Fletcher

Some technological developments can appear near totalistic in the way they remake how we think—they permeate everything, including deeply rooted perspectives about knowledge, politics, society, and even reality. Simulation is one such set of technologies.

This course offers students the opportunity to engage with technologies of simulation—ranging from extended reality and generative AI to big data modeling—to examine the shifting nature of human values, interactions, and attitudes in the early 21st century. In doing so, the course will guide students through a comprehensive, interdisciplinary study of virtual worlds, preparing them to engage with our increasingly simulated digital spaces in critical and informed ways.

Students in the course will also take advantage of technologies available at the Ahmanson Lab, including XR technologies, generative AI tools, bot systems, and a brain-computer interface, to gain knowledge and hands-on experience while engaging with the themes of the course.

Through readings, discussions, and the thoughtful, hands-on application of relevant technologies at the Ahmanson Lab, students will examine the evolution of virtual worlds, from their origins in early mechanical simulations, stereoscopic technologies, and early film, to present-day immersive digital environments; the philosophical questions raised by VR, immersive environments, and the Simulation Hypothesis; the “end of theory” as big data models and AI replace deep theoretical understanding with predictive simulations; and the social and political implications of virtual worlds, including the ability to counterfeit people and simulate human behavior at scale.

To register or learn more, go HERE.

Have questions about the course? Email Dr. Fletcher at cfletche@usc.edu.