Culture and Connections
AI and Critical Thinking in Higher Education
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Jose Boigues Lopez
This paper exemplifies the possibilities of using AI tools to foster the development of critical thinking skills in college students. The paper is divided into two different parts. The first one displays a general theoretical frame on the pedagogical applications of AI in higher education. The second part analyzes one specific case of the use of ChatGPT in a Linguistics course in which students evaluated a text generated by the AI chatbot. The goals behind this task were, on the one hand, to promote students’ development of critical thinking skills, and on the other one, to raise their awareness about the ethical issues regarding the use of AI tools to generate texts. The study concludes by commenting on the prospects and the limitations of using AI writing tools for educational purposes.
The Mixtape as Historical Understanding and Synthesis
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Tommy Ender
Creating a Mixtape represents a crucial form of cultural and historical documentation and synthesis. It serves as a personal archive and an intellectual reflection for the individual. The methodology of Mixtape creation, involving selection, arrangement, and contextual annotation, mirrors historiographical practices of source evaluation and narrative construction. The individual selects a particular historical event for examination while developing a playlist of songs. The songs either directly relate to the event or provide the individual with lyrical and musical guidance in understanding the event. Music platforms (such as Apple Music, Spotify, and YouTube) play a crucial role in researching and cultivating the Mixtape. The individual then deconstructs the event, in collaboration with the songs, to synthesize new interpretations. The resulting written narratives serve as historical objects and methodological models for understanding how individuals synthesize and transmit historical knowledge through cultural artifacts. The Mixtape represents a fundamental, hybrid creative form for learning about the past. It adds elements of popular culture while relying on digital music platforms for accessibility. The preservation of personal and collective memory is equally important. The Mixtape itself becomes a primary source. The Mixtape, living in a cloud, can be exchanged across different nation-state boundaries in ways mirroring how mixtape cassettes were exchanged by individuals in past decades. It also allows individuals the opportunity to present marginalized narratives in educational settings.
Featured Beyond the Screen - Dismantling Digital Labor Inequalities: Gender, Precarity, and Institutional Responses in European Platform Economies
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Blanca Lozano Navarro
This study examines the interaction of technological transformation and neoliberal policies in shaping gender-based labour inequalities within Europe. The rise of the 'gig economy' has introduced new forms of labour commodification—such as crowdwork—raising questions about mechanisms of exploitation beyond digital precarity, which disproportionately affects women. While crowdwork promises flexibility and autonomy, it has reinforced unstable working conditions, particularly in feminised sectors. Regulation Theory provides a framework to examine labour market changes driven by three decades of deregulation. This research explores how digital platforms reconfigure labour relations, reinforcing principles of Western societies that instrumentalize the human body, especially female bodies, for capital. Through a comparative analysis of Spain, France, Germany, and Sweden, the analysis reveals how various normative frameworks address the commodification of platform labour. Key institutional factors—such as algorithmic regulation, labour classification, and social protection policies—are identified as mitigating or exacerbating gender inequalities. Using a mixed-methods approach and a digital precarity index, platforms are classified into three types: (1) offshored skilled labour; (2) unskilled on-site labour; (3) feminised labour, where market logics commodify care roles. Findings reveal an increasingly precarious labour system characterized by low wages, irregular hours, overwork, social isolation, and lack of social protection. Additionally, platform labour practices also reinforce gender subordination through algorithmic control. Overall, this research deepens understanding of weaknesses in the new work organization and legal loopholes surrounding it. It emphasizes the need for innovative regulatory frameworks to address the growing commodification of work in the digital economy while promoting workers' rights and gender equity.
